About Gone West

Elyse Neiman Seiter

FOUNDER

Founded by Elyse Neiman Seiter— Emmy-winning filmmaker and INELDA-trained End-of-Life Doula— Gone West brings a rare blend of storytelling skill and end-of-life sensitivity to the family story documenting space.

The name Gone West is a timeless phrase rooted in the setting sun, a metaphor for moving towards the sunset of our lives. To “go west” is to travel toward the horizon. When one is aging, or confronting a terminal illness, we realize that some of our stories may go with us, and that’s where the need for Gone West comes in.

With years of experience interviewing people for film and television, as well as formal training in spiritual accompaniment from the NY Zen Center’s Contemplative Care program, Elyse meets each client with respect, calm, and presence. She went through her own cancer treatment in 2015, which she credits with fully waking her up to what is truly important. Elyse has made short films about her dying father-in-law, her great aunt, and her hospice care partner. She recently directed a feature film on end-of-life called Riding Home, which is currently in post-production (as of August 2025), and is in pre-production on a short film based in Seattle about Medical Aid In Dying, which will shoot in September 2025.