Senay Berhe is an Ethiopian-born filmmaker, director, and producer based in Toronto, Canada. She has won numerous awards for her work, including two Canadian Screen Awards for Best Short Documentary.
Senay was born in Ethiopia in 1991 and moved to Canada at an early age. She was always passionate about storytelling, and began making films at the age of 14. After high school, she studied film at Ryerson University in Toronto, where she specialized in documentary filmmaking.
Senay's first major film, 'The Heart of Nuba' (2012), was a short documentary about a mission hospital in war-torn Sudan. This film won numerous awards, including Best Short Documentary at the Canadian Screen Awards. Her follow-up documentary, 'Rise Above Hate' (2015) captures the inspiring stories of individuals overcoming racism and prejudice.
In 2017, Senay directed the feature-length documentary 'My Ethiopia', which tells the story of a Canadian journalist of Ethiopian descent who returns to his homeland in search of his family's history. This film was selected for numerous film festivals, including the prestigious Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.
In addition to her documentary work, Senay has also directed several narrative films, including 'The Chameleon' (2017) and 'The Unseen' (2018). She is currently developing her first feature-length narrative film, which she hopes to shoot in Ethiopia in 2021.
Senay is passionate about using her work to explore the complexities of identity, culture, and community. She is an alumni of the Berlinale Talents program and the National Film Board of Canada's Hothouse program, and has been featured in Filmmaker Magazine's “25 New Faces of Independent Film”. Her work has been featured on CBC, The Globe and Mail, and the Toronto Star, among other publications.
Senay is committed to creating meaningful films that spark conversations and encourage empathy. Her work is inspiring and thought-provoking, and reflects her dedication to telling stories that matter.
