Sarah Francis graduated from the Institut des Etudes Scéniques, Audiovisuelles et Cinématographiques (IESAV) at the Université de Saint-Joseph in Beirut in 2005. ‘Interferences’, her graduation short movie, won the students’ film competition at the European Film Festival in 2005. In that very first project, the theme of the city was already apparent. Francis later took Masters courses in information and communications and participated in several international workshops. Since 2004, she has worked as a TV director for several production companies, including Imagic, Periba, Firehorse and Road to Films. Her work has been broadcast on Al Jazeera Children, Abu Dhabi TV and Future TV. She has also directed corporate documentaries and worked on many independent projects. ‘Encounters’ is her first personal film since graduation.