Sophie E. Constantinou
- Camera
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.
Known for
Filmography
- Say Their Names · Director
- What We Carry With Us: Refugee Storylabs · Cinematography
- American Creed · Cinematography
- Collaboration: Ron Padgett · Director, Producer
- The Royal Road · Cinematography
- Flamin’ Hot - Lunch Love Community · Co-producer
- Regarding Susan Sontag · Cinematography
- The Labor of Lunch - Lunch Love Community · Co-producer
- But Is It Replicable? - Lunch Love Community · Co-producer
- The Whole World in a Small Seed - Lunch Love Community · Co-producer
- If They Cook It, They Will Eat It - Lunch Love Community · Co-producer
- The Parent Factor - Lunch Love Community · Co-producer
- The Lunch Love Community Documentary Project · Co-producer
- Feeding the Body Politic - Lunch Love Community · Co-producer
- Between the Lines · Director
- Race to Nowhere · Cinematography
- 575 Castro St. · Cinematography
- Balancing Acts: A Jewish Theatre in The Soviet Union · Cinematography
- Hats Off · Cinematography
- Maquilapolis · Cinematography
- Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton's Cafeteria · Cinematography
- The Joy of Life · Cinematography
- Monumental: David Brower's Fight for Wild America · Cinematography
- One Wedding and a Revolution · Cinematography
- Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives · Cinematography
- Hope Along the Wind: The Story of Harry Hay · Cinematography
- Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Happiness · Cinematography
- Presumed Guilty: Tales of the Public Defenders · Cinematography
- Divided Loyalties · Editing, Cinematography
- Sleep Come Free Me · Cinematography
- Your Kiss · Cinematography
- Third · Cinematography
- Trans · Director
- Presumed Guilty · Cinematography, Producer
- CMC Young Musicians Program: Mission District youth find focus, follow dreams · Self
- To See One's Self · Self
- Harlem of the West: Then and Now · Director
- A Foot in the Door · Cinematography
- Ian James Made · Sound, Producer
- The Two Eighty Project · Director
- Live this Loudly: Afatasi · Director
- Youcubed · Director, Producer
- The Rifleman’s Violin · Cinematography
- Prolific: Joe Brainard · Cinematography, Director
- The Labor of Lunch · Co-producer, Cinematography
- A Local Legacy: Black-Owned Businesses · Producer
- African American Historical Society – Migration Stories · Director
- African Americans and the Vote · Director
- San Francisco Pretrial Diversion Project · Director
- Resilient Richmond · Director
- Chop Shop: A Community & Law Enforcement Conversation · Director
- Radically Inclusive - Founders - GLIDE Living Legacy · Director
- Immigrants Rising · Producer
- Joann Sfar Draws from Memory · Producer, Cinematography
- Parks Conservancy · Director
- The Arc SF · Director, Cinematography
- One: Affinity - Kenward Elmslie · Director
- We Hunger For… · Creator, Director
- Wanda · Creator, Producer
- Just Produce/Food Justice · Producer, Director
- To Feed And Be Fed · Producer, Cinematography
- Imperfection Salad · Producer, Director
- T-Shirts Manifesto · Cinematography
- Students Respond to American Creed · Cinematography
- In the Maze of Our Own Lives · Cinematography
- A Living Room Conversation: Mark Meckler and Joan Blades · Cinematography
- CMC Teen Jazz Orchestra: Cultivating respect and self expression through music · Cinematography
- Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good · Cinematography
- Life Outside the U.S. — Transcending the American Dream · Cinematography
- Under Their Skin · Cinematography