Sara Carlsen was born in Kansas, grew up in the plains of Colorado, and later attended the University of Kansas. Now located in New York City, she has been working in documentary film for eight years. She currently leads documentary production at 29 Pixel Studios and assists in productions by director Penny Lane.

She directed Battle of Ortona (2023) about a Christmastime battle with hesitant heroes and A Visit to Peaceful Acres (2022) about generational storytelling at her century-old family farm.

She has edited and animated seven feature-length documentaries including Deception at D-Day (2022) and Liberation of Manila (2021).

She assisted on multiple features with director Penny Lane at her company Spinning Nancy.

She is currently producing and editing a film about the outdoorsmen of the 10th Mountain Division. She is also directing a short doc about a Miracle in Missouri.

Most importantly, she’s from the Midwest.