With a professional background in NGO film and communications, Sema’s filmmaking has always been driven by stories of personal testimony and social justice. The power of film to move hearts and give voice to hidden stories, both past and present, has inspired her recent practice within oral history documentary – unearthing and preserving local stories before they are forgotten.

Sema’s first documentary, The Signalman, was broadcast by BBC South West in 2020, with subsequent documentaries winning festival awards in the UK and internationally. Her most recent film, The Branches are Hope; The Roots are Memory, premiered at Sheffield DocFest in 2021 before going on to win an award at Leeds International Film Festival. She was a mentee on the Bradford Filmmakers 25 initiative in 2020 and a Grierson DocLab Editor Trainee in 2021. She is currently working on her first radio documentary.

Alongside her film practice, Sema also works as an assistant editor in factual television. She holds an MA in Film & Television from Falmouth University, and a BA in Fine Art. When she’s not making films, she can often be found riding her bike around the beautiful Yorkshire countryside.

To discuss a film or editing project, please get in touch.