Sarah Hanssen

filmmaker - writer - educator 

                                                                                  










    
Two Things Are True - film - memoir - art project

In an attempt to confront childhood trauma, artist and filmmaker Sarah Hanssen decided to revise the abstract expressionist paintings of her deceased father, inviting artists to paint over these tainted works of art. The project evolved to include collaborations with more than 65 additional artists, healing through collaborative creative expression, and a deep dive into the frontier of trauma and grief. 


Donate to support the film here.

More information about the film here.

Stay in touch about the project.

Press for the preview gallery show here:
highlandscurrent.org
chronogram.com




Previous Works - Short Films

Non-Fiction

Working Stiff

Adult Stem Cells

A Second Is Like Is

New York at Three Feet
Experimental & Personal

Sarah Nye

Two By Twelve

Close-At-Hand

And Shine
Music Videos

Ashley Eriksson // Sunset

LAKE // Perfect Fit

Americans UK // Hostile Takeover

LAKE // Work With What You Got  

Kelly Jones // Right Hand Man


Fiction

How To Stand Up for Yourself

How To Manage a Divorce

How To Make a Baby





Publications
Painting Over My Painful Past - The New York Times | Modern Love
Friend Blend - The New York Times | Metro Diary

Rough Weekend - The New York Times | Metro Diary

Hanssen, Sarah. “Film Society: Starting a Screening Series at a Community College.” The Community College Enterprise, Vol.26, No.2, Fall. 2020.

Hanssen, Sarah. “New Tools for the Immersive Narrative Experience.” International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning(IJET), Aug. 2019.

Hanssen, Sarah. “Final Color: Color Grading and Correction.” Journal of Media Education. 01 January 2019. Web.

Hanssen, Sarah. “Building Cinema Community: An Interview with ArtHouse Convergence Founder Russ Collins, and Managing Director, Barbara Twist.” The Projector: A Journal on Film, Media, and Culture. 01 January 2018. Web. 

Hanssen, Sarah. “Interview with Jennifer Reeder.” The Projector: A Journal on Film, Media, and Culture. 1 July 2016. Web.
Hanssen, Sarah. “Where To Invade Next.” The Curator. 16 February 2016. Web.

Hanssen, Sarah. "Drone Class: Keeping Coursework Current as Technology Advances." Community College Journal of Research and Practice. Vol. 40, No 10. 22 Jan. 2016. Pages 871-874.




Sarah Hanssen © 2026