Savanah Leaf

savanah leaf (b. 1993) is an award-winning artist and filmmaker working across narrative film, documentary, and installation. as a former team gb volleyball player at the london 2012 olympics and sports hall of famer, she brings an intuitive emotional sensibility and a deep physical awareness to her cinematic practice.

her debut feature earth mama premiered at sundance and screened internationally before its theatrical release in 2023 with a24 and universal films. the film earned leaf the bafta award for outstanding debut, a bifa for best directorial debut, independent spirit award nominations, and recognition on the national board of review’s best debut films of 2023.

leaf’s installation series run first exhibited at hauser & wirth los angeles in 2023. run 002 premiered at sfmoma in 2024 and later exhibited at crystal bridges museum of american art in 2025. most recently, run 003 premiered at pérez art museum miami in 2026.

her documentary the heart still hums (2020) won top prizes at palm springs shortfest, blackstar, and nashville, and was later acquired by searchlight pictures. that same year, she received a grammy nomination for her music video for gary clark jr.

leaf is a recipient of the bfi x chanel filmmaker award, sundance momentum fellowship, and universal fellowship. She has also served as a visiting artist and lecturer at nyu, vermont college of fine arts, the university of chicago, and the royal central school of speech and drama.