Samuel-Ali Mirpoorian

Biography

Sam Mirpoorian is a Television Academy® Honoree, an Emmy® Award-winning, and Critics Choice® Award-winning filmmaker exploring societal themes at the intersection of time, isolation, health, science, & introspection. His debut feature documentary, Greener Pastures, screened at over 50 film festivals between 2023-2024 & won over fifteen awards including the coveted Television Academy Honors Award from the Primetime Emmys® in 2025. The film is executive produced by Academy Award®-nominated & Emmy® Award-winners, David J. Cornfield & Linda A. Cornfield. Greener Pastures was acquired by and made its national broadcast premiere via PBS' Academy Award®-nominated & Emmy® Award-winning series, Independent Lens. Greener Pastures is available to stream via PBS, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, and wherever films are available. His documentary short films have screened & won awards at several Academy Award®-qualifying festivals such as Tribeca, Chicago International, Austin, DOC NYC, Indy Shorts International, & many others. His two latest documentary short films have been in the Academy Awards® mix for best documentary short consideration in 2024 and 2025 after garnering acclaim. Saving Superman screened at over 60 film festivals between 2024-2025 and won over ten awards including a Critics Choice® Award for Best Documentary Short. The film is executive produced by Oscar®-winning actor Brendan Fraser and was acquired by Switchboard Magazine. Safe Place screened at over 30 film festivals, won over ten awards, was acquired by The New York Times, selected as a Vimeo Staff Pick & Best of Staff Picks for 2024. Sam was named a New Wave Filmmaker by Film Independent in 2025, a PBS Wyncote Fellow in 2023 & is a recipient of the Kodak Motion Picture Film Bronze Award for Excellence in Filmmaking. His work has been supported by Far Star Action Fund, Doc Society, Catapult Film Fund, Exposure Labs, ITVS, The Redford Center, The Points North Institute, & others.