Sarah Grohnert

Sarah Grohnert is a German born, New Zealand based award-winning writer, director and editor. She originally trained as an editor in Germany before moving to the UK to study directing. For the past 14 years, she has been living and working in Aotearoa New Zealand. She works both as a director and editor across formats and genres and she has a keen eye for detail. Sarah’s work is characterised by a strong sense for atmosphere and character, both in documentary and fiction. She also bring experience as a producer and DoP.

Industry Experience

Her award-winning debut feature documentary “Ever The Land” (2015 - NZIFF, VIFF, Venice Architecture Biennale, BAFICI, Cork Int Film Fest) led to work with Jane Campion, who tapped Sarah to produce, direct & shoot the 25th anniversary documentary for "The Piano". In collaboration with Rugby NZ, Sarah created an incredibly intimate web series, “Being Men”, bringing together All Blacks, Rugby League Players and everyday men, who speak honestly and with a great deal of vulnerability about the experiences that shape them as human beings. “Milk of Dreams”, a short film that Sarah wrote, directed and edited, premiered in competition at the Torino Film Festival in Italy in 2024. It was picked up for distribution by 7Palms Entertainment in the US. To date, the film has won the Jury Award at the 17th International Moving Film Festival in Mexico and the Grand Prize Maya Award at the International Portrait Film Festival in Bulgaria.As an editor, Sarah brings a great sense of rhythm and empathy to shaping the heart of the narrative. Her easeful nature has allowed her to connect with many creatives over the years that share in a passion to tell meaningful and authentic stories. Personal highlights include collaborating with the team of “Land of Voyagers”, a Web Series about Polynesian migration and celestial navigation as part of a educational website aimed at Maori & Pacifica youth. In the long form, Sarah has edited award-winning feature documentaries for Māori TV and the hugely popular factual TV One show “Te Radar Across the Pacific”. In the short form, Sarah has worked on campaigns for Vodafone, Fonterra and the award-winning Tourism New Zealand campaign “Travelling under the Social Influence”, featuring Tom Sainsbury.In 2025, she was a leading editor of the popular NZ On Air funded series 'Frank - Stories from the South' and saw the release of NZ Doc Edge winning feature doco 'Three Days in February' by director Serena Stevenson, which Sarah edited and consulted on.