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EXCLUSIVE: UTA has inked filmmaker and choreographer Sarah Friedland whose movie Familiar Touch made its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival last fall.
Friedland’s debut feature film received both the Lion of the Future – Luigi De Laurentiis Award for Debut Film and the Horizons Award for Best Director at Venice.
The pic which stars H. Jon Benjamin, London Garcia and Kathleen Chalfant follows an octogenarian woman who transitions to life in assisted living as she contends with her conflicting relationship to herself and her caregivers amidst her shifting memory, age identity, and desires. Chalfant received the award for Best Actress, making Familiar Touch the most awarded film selected for the Horizons category in the festival’s history. On the heels of her success at Venice, Chalfant was honored with an Independent Spirit Award in the Someone to Watch category.
Friedland’s previous work has been showcased at leading venues and festivals, including the New York Film Festival, New Directors/New Films, MoMA, BAM Cinematek, and Performa Biennial. She has received support from institutions including Film at Lincoln Center, the Jerome Foundation, Panavision, Foundation for Contemporary Art, the Bronx Museum, and Berlinale Talents.
In 2023, Friedland was named one of Filmmaker Magazine‘s 25 New Faces of Independent Film. She has also been recognized with a Pina Bausch Fellowship for Choreography and a NYSCA/NYFA Fellowship in Film/Video. She is a graduate of Brown University’s department of Modern Culture and Media and started her career assisting filmmakers including Steve McQueen, Mike S. Ryan, and Kelly Reichardt.
