Biography
Sophie Constantinou is a film director, cinematographer and producer.
Co-founder of Citizen Film, a documentary production nonprofit based in San Francisco, Constantinou creates documentaries at the intersection of storytelling and community engagement. At Citizen Film, Constantinou has worked on the Community Leadership Series (2003-2013), Joann Sfar Draws from Memory (2012), Lunch Love Community (2014), GLIDE’s Values series (2014-2024), and Narrative Shift (2021-2024), primarily as the Director of Photography. Independent of Citizen Film, she worked as Director and Cinematographer on Frameline selection Trans (1994), Between the Lines (1997), which was distributed on the Sundance Channel, and Divided Loyalties (1999). She filmed The Joy of Life (2005) and The Royal Road (2015), both official selections of the Sundance Film Festival in their respective years. She was also the director of photography for PBS documentary Presumed Guilty (2000), PBS/POV film Maquilapolis (2006), and HBO documentary Unchained Memories (2004). She filmed Emmy Award-winning Home Front (2001) and HBO documentary Regarding Susan Sontag (2014). Her work is acclaimed for tackling complex issues with artistry and sensitivity while catalyzing place-based change and creating healthy, sustainable communities. Since 2010, she has worked in San Francisco’s Western Addition on a series of films, engagement initiatives, and education programs bringing attention to the inequities of the neighborhood’s predominantly Black community. These projects include Buchanan Stories / Buchanan Change and Green Streets. She is also the founder of the Bernal Cut Project, a community-led biodiversity initiative to transform 16 acres of inner city open space into a habitat corridor and immersive learning.
Filmography
Cast Credits
Crew
Crew Credits
Say Their Names
Role: Director
MOVIE • 2021
What We Carry With Us: Refugee Storylabs
Role: Cinematography
MOVIE • 2019

American Creed
Role: Cinematography
MOVIE • 2018
Collaboration: Ron Padgett
Role: Producer
MOVIE • 2016
Collaboration: Ron Padgett
Role: Director of Photography
MOVIE • 2016
Collaboration: Ron Padgett
Role: Director
MOVIE • 2016

The Royal Road
Role: Director of Photography
MOVIE • 2015
Flamin’ Hot - Lunch Love Community
Role: Co-Producer
MOVIE • 2015

Regarding Susan Sontag
Role: Director of Photography
MOVIE • 2014
The Labor of Lunch - Lunch Love Community
Role: Co-Producer
MOVIE • 2010
But Is It Replicable? - Lunch Love Community
Role: Co-Producer
MOVIE • 2010
The Whole World in a Small Seed - Lunch Love Community
Role: Co-Producer
MOVIE • 2010
If They Cook It, They Will Eat It - Lunch Love Community
Role: Co-Producer
MOVIE • 2010
The Parent Factor - Lunch Love Community
Role: Co-Producer
MOVIE • 2010
The Lunch Love Community Documentary Project
Role: Co-Producer
MOVIE • 2010
Feeding the Body Politic - Lunch Love Community
Role: Co-Producer
MOVIE • 2010

Race to Nowhere
Role: Cinematography
MOVIE • 2009
Between the Lines
Role: Director
MOVIE • 2009

575 Castro St.
Role: Director of Photography
MOVIE • 2009

Balancing Acts: A Jewish Theatre in The Soviet Union
Role: Cinematography
MOVIE • 2008