ABOUT
Born and raised in the woods outside Portland, OR, Sarah Wells is a documentary filmmaker and cinematographer based in the Bay Area. She is drawn to working-class characters and stories, approaching subjects with honesty and a sense of humor to get to the heart of things. She was awarded "Filmmaker to Watch" for her documentary My Dad Gets a Smartphone at the Eastern Oregon Film Festival.
She has shot pieces for VICE, Sephora, NowThis, AJ+, and Bay Area arts organizations, and has also done communications work for United Auto Workers (UAW) Region 6. She is currently completing her master’s degree in Visual Anthropology and Documentary Practices at the University of Münster.
FESTIVALS & AWARDS
“My Dad Gets a Smartphone”
2023 Tacoma Film Festival - Tacoma, WA
2023 Porto Femme International Film Festival - Porto, PT
2023 Lisboa Indie Film festival - Lisbon, PT
2023 Leiria Film Festival - Leiria, PT
2023 Cinalfama Lisbon Screening and Awards - Lisbon, PT
2022 Programmer's Choice/Filmmaker to Watch Eastern Oregon Film Festival
2022 Best Micro Doc Oregon Short Film Festival - Portland, OR
2022 Best Documentary SF City Shorts Film Festival - San Francisco, CA
2022 Finalist Oregon Documentary Film Festival - Portland, OR
2022 Official Selection Montreal Independent Film Festival - Montreal, CAN
EDUCATION
MA, Visual Anthropology and Documentary Practices, University of Münster (expected 2027)
Certificate, Visual Storytelling, Berkeley Advanced Media Institute (2022)
BA in Design, Minor in Islamic Studies, University of San Francisco (2007-2011)
CONTACT
