Ömer Sami

As I enter the world, my grandpa hands my parents a list of Turkish names to pick from. He runs their decision past the elders: Anything but that cursed name! Too late. My uncle comes and whispers the Muslim birth rites in my ear. Then comes my Irish grandma… Ömer Ryan Sami. A life born out of contradiction.

Somehow, this is what I’m searching for in my work. Someone that captures my imagination, who invites me on a journey into their life and mind to explore existential questions, amid a world of contradictions.

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Ömer Sami (f. 1993) er dokumentarinstruktør med britisk, irsk og tyrkisk baggrund. Han fortæller intime karakterdrevne historier, som udforsker eksistentielle temaer som tilhørsforhold, arv og uskyldstab. Har en bachelor i psykologi fra UCLA.

Hans film ‘Into the Blue’ (2023) havde premiere på Hot Docs. Hans debutfilm, ‘Sam and the Plant Next Door’ (2019, The Guardian) modtog en Ekko Shortlist Award og Vimeo Staff Pick, og blev nomineret til en Robert, IDA Documentary Award og Critics Choice Award.

www.omersami.com