
About Me
DIRECTOR.
PRODUCER.
STORYTELLER.
Sarah R. Lotfi created DOG AND ROSE MEDIA to design compelling visual narratives for commercial video production. Born to an Iranian father and Chinese-American mother, Sarah has a passion for telling stories that examine humanity within diverse cultures. In 2016, she wrote and directed the 'Audience Choice' winning commercial COLORADO REVEALED: Worlds Within, produced for the Colorado Film Commission. Lotfi's screenplays have been finalists with the American Gem, Sundance Institute and Big Vision Empty Wallet development programs.
Adept in casting, coordinating, and promotional messaging, Sarah has served on numerous productions including Chloe Zhao's THE RIDER (2017) and HBO's CINEMA VERITE: THE SAGA OF AN AMERICAN FAMILY (2011). Other credits include work with ABC and National Geographic. Sarah wrote and directed the acclaimed German-language short, MENSCHEN (2013), around disability in the last days of WWII distributed by Shorts International on iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon Video.
Lotfi has presented on independent filmmaking for the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva and New York City, taught courses in film studies at the University of Colorado, and is an alumnus of the Transatlantic Talent Lab with Reykjavik International Film Festival. Her works has been featured in WIPO magazine (Geneva, Switzerland), The Huffington Post (New York), Film Courage (Los Angeles), and Screen Read (Bonn, Germany).
Sarah lives with her husband, Curtis and their rescue, Hanley the 'shepsky' (shepherd-husky).
SELECT ACCOLADES
AUDIENCE AWARDS 2016
Colorado Revealed: Worlds Within
'Most Voted Film'
SUNDANCE WRITERS LAB 2015
original screenplay, Preemptive Measures
'Finalist'
TRANSATLANTIC TALENT LAB 2014
Menschen, Golden Egg Competition
WORLDFEST HOUSTEN 2014
Menschen, 'Special Jury Award"
LIFE FEST FILM FESTIVAL 2013
Menschen, 'Best Short Film'
'Founder's Award for Excellence'
'Audience Choice'
FILMSTOCK FILM FESTIVAL 2013
Menschen, 'Best of Fest', 'Best Actor'
37th STUDENT ACADEMY AWARDS 2010
The Last Bogatyr
Regional Winner & National Finalist
AMERICAN GEM 2008
Short Screenplay, HEARD
Special Honorable Mention
