I am a Sudanese Director, Editor, and Artist based in New York. However, first and foremost, I'm an image maker. It began with drawing, collage and photography. A curiosity of the moving image lead me to graduate school where I shot, directed and edited my video installations and artwork. I learned editing because it was a means to realizing my vision. I never dreamed that it would lead to a career as an editor. So for many years, people stared at the back of my head and the monitors surrounding it. That feeling once so awkward, became my therapeutic daily routine. As editors, we are the end of the pipeline and we see it all; your ambitious script, your mishaps, your incredible achievements, the pressures you face as you try to meet your deadline or budget and hopefully the successful conclusion of many hours of hard work. We are creative therapists. A good editor is invisible and a great one elevates your work and vision in ways you didn't know were possible. I came to cherish my role as editor, however, my hunger to craft my own stories grew. I quit my full time editing gig, travelled, taught and freelanced, completed an artist in residency program and began directing again. Today I am producing, directing, curating, editing, teaching and advocating for underrepresented voices. All part of my creative evolution. I am still if not more excited by image making and hope to bring the best of my past experiences to my future projects. -S
I am a Sudanese Director, Editor, and Artist based in New York. However, first and foremost, I'm an image maker. It began with drawing, collage and photography. A curiosity of the moving image lead me to graduate school where I shot, directed and edited my video installations and artwork. I learned editing because it was a means to realizing my vision. I never dreamed that it would lead to a career as an editor. So for many years, people stared at the back of my head and the monitors surrounding it. That feeling once so awkward, became my therapeutic daily routine. As editors, we are the end of the pipeline and we see it all; your ambitious script, your mishaps, your incredible achievements, the pressures you face as you try to meet your deadline or budget and hopefully the successful conclusion of many hours of hard work. We are creative therapists. A good editor is invisible and a great one elevates your work and vision in ways you didn't know were possible. I came to cherish my role as editor, however, my hunger to craft my own stories grew. I quit my full time editing gig, travelled, taught and freelanced, completed an artist in residency program and began directing again. Today I am producing, directing, curating, editing, teaching and advocating for underrepresented voices. All part of my creative evolution. I am still if not more excited by image making and hope to bring the best of my past experiences to my future projects. -S
I am a Sudanese Director, Editor, and Artist based in New York. However, first and foremost, I'm an image maker. It began with drawing, collage and photography. A curiosity of the moving image lead me to graduate school where I shot, directed and edited my video installations and artwork. I learned editing because it was a means to realizing my vision. I never dreamed that it would lead to a career as an editor. So for many years, people stared at the back of my head and the monitors surrounding it. That feeling once so awkward, became my therapeutic daily routine. As editors, we are the end of the pipeline and we see it all; your ambitious script, your mishaps, your incredible achievements, the pressures you face as you try to meet your deadline or budget and hopefully the successful conclusion of many hours of hard work. We are creative therapists. A good editor is invisible and a great one elevates your work and vision in ways you didn't know were possible. I came to cherish my role as editor, however, my hunger to craft my own stories grew. I quit my full time editing gig, travelled, taught and freelanced, completed an artist in residency program and began directing again. Today I am producing, directing, curating, editing, teaching and advocating for underrepresented voices. All part of my creative evolution. I am still if not more excited by image making and hope to bring the best of my past experiences to my future projects. -S
I am a Sudanese Director, Editor, and Artist based in New York. However, first and foremost, I'm an image maker. It began with drawing, collage and photography. A curiosity of the moving image lead me to graduate school where I shot, directed and edited my video installations and artwork. I learned editing because it was a means to realizing my vision. I never dreamed that it would lead to a career as an editor. So for many years, people stared at the back of my head and the monitors surrounding it. That feeling once so awkward, became my therapeutic daily routine. As editors, we are the end of the pipeline and we see it all; your ambitious script, your mishaps, your incredible achievements, the pressures you face as you try to meet your deadline or budget and hopefully the successful conclusion of many hours of hard work. We are creative therapists. A good editor is invisible and a great one elevates your work and vision in ways you didn't know were possible. I came to cherish my role as editor, however, my hunger to craft my own stories grew. I quit my full time editing gig, travelled, taught and freelanced, completed an artist in residency program and began directing again. Today I am producing, directing, curating, editing, teaching and advocating for underrepresented voices. All part of my creative evolution. I am still if not more excited by image making and hope to bring the best of my past experiences to my future projects. -S
I am a Sudanese Director, Editor, and Artist based in New York. However, first and foremost, I'm an image maker. It began with drawing, collage and photography. A curiosity of the moving image lead me to graduate school where I shot, directed and edited my video installations and artwork. I learned editing because it was a means to realizing my vision. I never dreamed that it would lead to a career as an editor. So for many years, people stared at the back of my head and the monitors surrounding it. That feeling once so awkward, became my therapeutic daily routine. As editors, we are the end of the pipeline and we see it all; your ambitious script, your mishaps, your incredible achievements, the pressures you face as you try to meet your deadline or budget and hopefully the successful conclusion of many hours of hard work. We are creative therapists. A good editor is invisible and a great one elevates your work and vision in ways you didn't know were possible. I came to cherish my role as editor, however, my hunger to craft my own stories grew. I quit my full time editing gig, travelled, taught and freelanced, completed an artist in residency program and began directing again. Today I am producing, directing, curating, editing, teaching and advocating for underrepresented voices. All part of my creative evolution. I am still if not more excited by image making and hope to bring the best of my past experiences to my future projects. -S
PERSONAL STATEMENT I am a Sudanese Director, Editor, and Artist based in New York. However, first and foremost, I'm an image maker. I was born in Khartoum, immigrated to the US at 8 years old and learned English with the help of Nuns, TV and Phonics books. Creating art helped ground me. It began with drawing, collage and photography. A curiosity of the moving image lead me to graduate school where I shot, directed and edited my video installations and artwork. I learned editing because it was a means to realizing my vision. I never dreamed that it would lead to a career as an editor. So for many years, people stared at the back of my head and the monitors surrounding it. That feeling once so awkward, became my therapeutic daily routine. As editors, we are the end of the pipeline and we see it all; your ambitious script, your mishaps, your incredible achievements, the pressures you face as you try to meet your deadline or budget and hopefully the successful conclusion of many hours of hard work. We are creative therapists. A good editor is invisible and a great one elevates your work and vision in ways you didn't know were possible. I came to cherish my role as editor, however, my hunger to craft my own stories grew. I quit my full time editing gig, travelled, taught and freelanced, completed an artist in residency program and began directing again. Today I am producing, directing, curating, editing, teaching and advocating for underrepresented voices. All part of my creative evolution. I am still if not more excited by image making and hope to bring the best of my past experiences to my future projects. -S
PROFESSIONAL BIO Sarra Idris is a creative force with over two decades of experience as a Visual Artist, Editor and Director working across film, media, and cultural projects in the United States and internationally. Sarra's mission is grounded in innovative storytelling, cross-cultural bridge building and long-term cultural impact. Her role has evolved toward providing creative leadership, shaping narrative direction and contributing to projects from development through public exhibition and distribution. Her diverse client collaborations include Polo Ralph Lauren, Adidas + Vice, Google Creative Labs, PSYOP, NBC Universal (SNL) and The New York Times. While her art film exhibitions have included the Brooklyn Museum, ICA London, London Short Film Festival, New York African Film Festival, South London Gallery and The Arab American National Museum Smithsonian as part of their permanent collection. She has also co-curated and presented a film series focused on Sudanese cinema with the New York African Film Festival, The Brooklyn Academy of Music and The Africa Center. Sarra is deeply committed to education and giving access to underrepresented voices. She serves as Faculty at the School of Visual Arts in the MFA Photography, Video and Related Media Department. In 2026 she co-founded The Idris Traub Education Fund that gives scholarships to outstanding talents from the African diaspora to complete their graduate studies in art. Sarra also serves on the advisory board of Millennium Film Journal, "the longest-running publication devoted to artists' moving image."