Sara Joe Wolansky is a documentary director and Emmy-nominated producer whose films depict stranger-than-fiction stories, grounded in genuine empathy. The Big Cheese is her first feature film as director.
Her films will lure you in by making you laugh and then tug at your heartstrings. Her award-winning documentary shorts have racked up millions of views and earned plaudits from even the harshest critics in the world, YouTube commenters.
Before she went independent, Sara Joe was the Senior Video Producer at The New Yorker. She helped to build The New Yorker’s Oscar-nominated documentary programming while directing her own award-winning and widely viewed short films.
In 2021, Sara Joe produced and edited The New Yorker’s groundbreaking video of the January 6th Capitol insurrection, which was covered extensively on broadcast networks and viewed by millions. Excerpts were played during Trump’s second impeachment and included in the Congressional Record for the trial.
Sara Joe has also produced for Bloomberg, VICE, and on other feature documentaries. She holds an M.F.A. in Film & T.V. Production from the University of Southern California, and a B.A. in Sociology from Harvard.
Please List the Title of Your Film at BIFF 2026
The Big Cheese
What was your first experience with film and how did it influence your first project?
When I was in fifth grade, I wanted to be a photographer. I bought a disposable camera and started working on the “My Dream Job” project assigned by Mrs. Striker. My first subject was my dog Spike. Spike eats. Spike sleeps. Spike cuddles. Spike yawns. I assembled the final project on poster board with “A DAY IN THE LIFE OF MY DOG” written in all-caps rainbow bubble letters. I received an A-. This fifth-grade poster masterpiece inspired a lasting interest in photography and capturing the human (and animal) condition. I continued studying photography throughout middle school, high school, and college, where I ultimately was the Photography Chair for my college newspaper.
Late in college, my interest in photojournalism transformed into an interest in film. I wanted the ability to hear someone’s story in their own words. I love stories that blend humor with unexpected pathos, and over time came to realize that documentary was an incredibly powerful medium for the type of work I loved to do. So that’s how I became a filmmaker. (And I guess I’d say my dog Spike was both funny and soulful… qualities that are now part of my filmmaking!)
Who is (are) your favorite filmmakers?
This is the kind of question that I will think of 50 different answers later that I wish I said… but to throw out a random assortment: Mindy Kaling, Nathan Fielder, Greta Gerwig, Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, the Coen brothers, Wes Anderson.
What are you working on that no one knows about?
I’ve got a couple different projects in development!
Who would play you in a movie? What’s your go to movie snack? What’s the film title that best describes your life?
Play me in a movie — Anne Hathaway in The Princess Diaries (pre-makeover)
Go-to movie snack — I actually love just normal popcorn
Film title that describes my life — Everything Everywhere All at Once
