Sara Salmani is an actor and producer, shaped by a life spent moving between different cultures. Working across film, television and voice, she gravitates towards work that explores lived intersections.

Originally graduating with a BA in Film and TV, the inequities she encountered in the industry led her to found and direct the MEFA (Middle Eastern Film & Arts) Festival, building a platform for underrepresented voices in Finland. This then led her to expand towards broader systemic change through diversity, equity, and inclusion work. Sara became one of Finland’s leading DEI consultants and a prominent public speaker. She advised and trained organisations internationally, including Warner Bros. Discovery, Meta, Coca-Cola, Oliver Wyman, the Finnish Film Foundation, MTV, YLE (the Finnish Broadcasting Company), and the City of Helsinki.

Her work extended into major cultural campaigns such as Nike and the Finnish Football Association’s sports-hijab initiative, featured by BBC and CNN, and The Polite Type, an anti-cyberbullying font recognised with SABRE and Red Dot Awards. She was also part of the core consultant team behind Finland’s nationwide anti-racism campaign for the Ministry of Justice. Her work and voice have been widely featured in Finnish media, including Helsingin Sanomat, YLE, Iltalehti, Trendi, Eeva, Kodinkuvalehti and Talouselämä.

This chapter profoundly shaped her as a creative, sharpening her empathy and curiosity.

Since returning to film and television, Sara has trained as an actor in both Finland and the UK and appeared in a range of screen projects. Her acting credits include the Finnish crime series Maria Kallio, television shows such as Kaksosenergiaa and Kämppikset, as well as YLE’s audio drama What Would Samira Do? In 2027, Sara will be seen in the upcoming comedy-crime series directed by Anna Dahlman.

Alongside acting, Sara never stopped working as a producer. Her notable work includes the short film Fardosa, released on NOWNESS, selected as a Vimeo Staff Pick, and awarded the Main Prize at the Academy Award qualifying Tampere Film Festival in 2022. She has also produced commercial work, including campaigns for the iconic Finnish fashion house Marimekko.

At the core of Sara’s work is an ongoing negotiation of belonging between cultures and expectations. Her biography, Ainoa huoneessa, exploring these themes of identity, was written by renowned author and actor Jani Toivola and published in December 2023 by Storytel.

Outside of work, she can usually be found in nature, travelling, and drifting between local cinemas and punk gigs.