An interview with Sophia Bihailo
Sophia Bihailo is a documentary filmmaker and cinematographer. With professional experience as a cinematographer, she has recently shifted her focus toward documentary filmmaking, specializing in short author-driven films that explore the relationship between humans and nature through a strong visual language.
Over the past year, Sophia has directed and shot three short documentaries, developing an interest in stories that examine how people inhabit, transform, preserve, and connect with the environments around them. Her films have screened internationally, including at the Sony Future Filmmaker Awards 2026, where she was shortlisted in the Non-Fiction category. Her work has also received a Best Cinematography Award for a short documentary.
“I feel that over the last few decades, people have become more disconnected from nature and have forgotten that they are part of it too.”
What was your journey into becoming a filmmaker?
My journey started with photography. I’ve been a photographer for around 10 years, including fashion photography. Over time, I realised I was getting bored of capturing a fake world. A few years ago, I started exploring cinematography and different ways of telling stories through visuals.
I’m a self-taught filmmaker. I don’t have a degree in filmmaking, but I think this has given me more freedom to experiment and be creative. After years of experimenting, I’ve found something I’m really interested in at the moment: directing and shooting creative documentaries.
What role does the natural world play in your work?
Right now, I’m working on a series of short documentaries about the connection between people and the natural world. I’m interested in how people care for, coexist with, and communicate with their environment, especially in the age of technology. I feel that over the last few decades, people have become more disconnected from nature and have forgotten that they are part of it too.
What is your creative process?
It always starts with a person or a theme I want to explore. Somehow, the stories always find me first, whether it’s during a hike or through recommendations from friends.
Once I find a character, I try to get to know them better and understand which perspective I want to tell their story from and what visual language would work best.
Then comes the filming. I also do interviews, but I always try to observe people without interrupting them and let them be themselves, just as they are in real life.
Is there anything you’re currently working on or looking forward to in your work that you’d like to share more about?
Alongside my work as a photographer and cinematographer, I’m developing a series of short documentaries. I’ve already made three films and am always looking for new stories around the world.
At the moment, I make most of my films on my own, but I’m also very open to collaborating with other filmmakers who are interested in exploring similar stories.
All images copyright of Sophia Bihailo.
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