SARA ALESSANDRINI

Sara Alessandrini is an Italian filmmaker, producer, and writer based in Newark whose filmmaking and media work explores the intersection of politics, culture, media, and public perception. She is the creator of This Is What New Yorkers Say, a five-part docuseries that explores how media bias, political agendas, and social movements shaped public perception around former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s resignation. The series features in-depth interviews with New Yorkers and experts discussing due process, media responsibility, #MeToo vs. women’s empowerment, cancel culture, political polarization, and the pressures of a social-media-driven society.

Originally conceived as a feature documentary, This Is What New Yorkers Say was later expanded into a five-part docuseries. The original feature was screened at festivals including the Awareness Film Festival, Voices Rising Film Festival, and New York Lift-Off Film Festival, and received multiple awards, including an Award of Merit from Impact DOCS Awards. 

The docuseries is available on Apple TV, Tubi, YouTube, Google Play, and Xumo.

BACKGROUND AND CAREER

Sara's professional journey did not begin in the arts, but in electronics and telecommunications where she first received her technical diploma in Cesena, Italy, and later enrolled in an engineering program before changing direction and moving to Rome to pursue filmmaking. She graduated from the Academy of Cinema and Television in Cinecittà, and later worked on multiple productions in the Italian film industry, including political films such as Border, which screened at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), and I Prigioni, a project exploring the intentions of the founders of the Italian Constitution. 

After her time in Rome, she spent a short period in Australia before relocating to Los Angeles in 2015, where she lived for 11 years before moving to Newark in 2026 to continue developing her documentary and broader media projects.

Before This Is What New Yorkers Say, Sara directed multiple music videos for the artists Jameson Tabor and Little Galaxies. Her visual work often explores broken relationships, loneliness, personal struggles, and the divisions that exist both within individuals and society.

Jameson Tabor’s Black Dust, an exploration of how polarization, division, and misunderstandings between people can escalate into violent conflict when we focus on what separates us rather than what unites us, was screened at the Portland Film Festival.

Safe in the Storm, originally filmed and produced by Sara in her hometown of Cesena, later became an official music video for Little Galaxies. It was screened at multiple film festivals, including the Madrid International Film Festival, where it received a nomination for Best Cinematography and Best Short, and received a Bronze Remi Award at Houston WorldFest.

Sara has also spent much of her career working with non-profits in the arts and cultural sector. She worked for seven years at the American Cinematheque, where she oversaw the historic Egyptian Theatre, Hollywood’s oldest movie palace and the site of the world’s first movie premiere.

She later worked with the Philosophical Research Society, supporting more than 1,000 cultural events, screenings, lectures, and programs.

PHILOSOPHY AND CURRENT FOCUS

Across these different environments, Sara has developed a particular interest in people and made it the focus of her media work: what they say, why they say it, and what their words can reveal about the larger systems and societies they inhabit. Her approach follows a simple but demanding process: listening to all sides, comparing views, questioning narratives, finding common ground, and seeking solutions.

“I believe films should leave the audience with more questions than answers.”
— SARA ALESSANDRINI

She does not assume that consensus is correct simply because it widely held, nor that any one political or social group has a monopoly on truth. She believes meaningful analysis requires listening to all sides without surrendering judgment or critical thinking, and being willing to follow the evidence even when it leads to uncomfortable territory.

Her work now extends beyond filmmaking through long-form essays on Substack, podcast appearances, interviews, and other media, where she examines complex social and political questions, connecting specific events, policies, and cultural phenomena to broader patterns within society. 

Sara believes film should provoke inquiry rather than offer simple answers. Through her filmmaking and media work, she seeks to broaden public understanding, question assumptions, and create space for more informed and meaningful dialogue around complex social and political issues. 

Writing

Podcast Appearances

Articles & Features

Op-Eds & Essays

Panels & Q&As

For This Is What New Yorkers Say (2022):

  • Panelist — Changing the World One Vote at a Time, Awareness Film Festival

  • Q&A — Awareness Film Festival

  • Q&A — Voices Rising Film Festival

  • Q&A — Chautauqua International Film Festival

  • Q&A — International New York Film Festival

Other Works:

  • Directors Chat: Coffee Break Q&A — Portland Film Festival (Black Dust, 2020)

  • Q&A — International Music Video Underground (Safe in the Storm, 2019)

Jury Experience

  • Femtasia Film Festival — Jury Member (2025)

  • Malatesta Film Festival — Animation Short Jury (2020)

  • Malatesta Film Festival — Animation, Documentary & Fiction Shorts Jury (2017)

Awards

For This Is What New Yorkers Say (2022):

  • Best Documentary Feature – Upstate NY Film Festival

  • Silver Award – International New York Film Festival

  • Best Documentary Feature – New York Tri-State Film Festival

  • Award of Merit – CinemaFest

  • Award of Merit – Impact DOCS Awards

  • Best Documentary – Chautauqua International Film Festival

  • Best Political Film – Cinema New York

  • Jury Award – New York State Film Festival

  • Honorable Mention – American Filmatic Arts Awards

For Black Dust (2019):

  • Award Winner – Global Music Awards

For Pull Me In (2016):

  • Winner – AAB International Film Festival

For Safe in the Storm (2016):

  • Best Dance Video Award – International Music Video Underground

  • Bronze Remi Award – Houston International Film Festival

  • Semi-Finalist – Los Angeles CineFest

  • Honorable Mention – LA Underground Film Forum