About
An Oscar-nominated filmmaker, Sam’s work has appeared on HBO, BBC, CNN, Channel 4 News, Vice, Al Jazeera, National Geographic, and other outlets.
Sam spent five years in Afghanistan, where he directed the Oscar-nominated narrative film “Buzkashi Boys.” His most recent documentary With This Breath I Fly, about two Afghan women fighting for their freedom after being imprisoned for “moral crimes,” has won over a dozen awards at major film festivals.
Sam has directed episodes of the Emmy-nominated documentary series Religion of Sports and Why We Fight, and the Red Bull series All In and Life of Kai. He is currently working on Dominion, a documentary about a new generation of evangelical climate activists, and Skinhead, a narrative feature film about former neo-Nazi Frank Meeink, a true story exploring one man’s fall to power and rise into grace. He has served on juries for the IDA Documentary Awards, the Austin Film Festival, the Istanbul Film Festival, the Dumbo Film Festival, and New York Shorts International.
Sam believes in the power of storytelling as an engine of empathy. He lives in Los Angeles.