Sam Mohseni is an emerging writer-director based in Vancouver, BC and holds a Master of Fine Arts in Film Production at the University of British Columbia. Born and raised in Iran and coming from a musical background, Sam pursued filmmaking after emigrating to Canada.
During his undergraduate studies in the Film Production program at UBC Theatre and Film, Sam made two short narratives, Saida (2018) and Poplife (2019), both of which dealt with issues of immigration and identity in North America. Saida was an award nominee for Best National Film at the University of Winnipeg Film Festival 2018 (UWpg), and Poplife, a music-driven drama, was an official selection at Vancouver Short Film Festival 2020 and MENA Film Festival 2020.
Maple at Night (2018) is a short cultural documentary Sam made in China in two weeks as part of Looking China Filmmaking Project which turned out to be a Golden Lens Award winner for Best Film in 2018, the year he was also the recipient of North Shore Studios Scholarship in Film Production.
Sam was one of the selected participants in the 2019 edition of Vancouver International Film Festival’s Mentorship Program which provided Sam a major insight into Canada’s film industry. His first feature film, Persia and I (2023), is an experimental documentary about war, cinema, and cultural identity.
Sam was the recipient of the H. Norman Lidster Prize in Documentary Filmmaking in 2021 for his short documentary Persian Blue (2021) and again in 2023 for his first feature-length documentary, Persia and I.
In addition to his filmmaking activities, Sam is also a part of the Vancouver International Film Festival Short Forum programming team.
