Serena Manouchehri is a Canadian director, writer, producer, and editor based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Her work explores coming-of-age, family dynamics, identity, and the complicated emotional experiences of young people, with a particular interest in stories centered on women and perspectives often left unheard.

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Manouchehri began filmmaking as a teenager in Ottawa, Ontario, developing an early passion for directing, editing, and visual storytelling. Her short film The Movie Theatre (2021) marked her directorial debut and received multiple awards and nominations on the international festival circuit. The film received the Platinum Award for Best Young Filmmaker at the Independent Short Awards in Los Angeles, alongside Honorable Mentions for Best Ensemble Cast and Best Production Design. At Indie Short Fest in Los Angeles, Manouchehri received an Outstanding Achievement Award for Young Filmmaker, with the film also receiving a nomination for Best Ensemble Cast.

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At seventeen, Manouchehri was given the opportunity to write, direct, and produce Teenage Fever, a web series licensed by Bell Fibe TV1. The project allowed her to lead a professional production at an early stage in her career and further established her interest in telling stories about adolescence through the perspectives of young people themselves. She has also been featured by Bell Fibe TV1 in its Producer’s Corner/creator spotlight, where she discusses the beginnings of her filmmaking career, her creative process, and her experience producing for TV1. Watch Serena’s Fibe TV1 creator feature.

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Manouchehri went on to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Film Production at the University of British Columbia, where she has continued developing her voice as a filmmaker through directing, producing, writing, and post-production. She is set to graduate in Spring 2027.

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Her recent psychological thriller, The Things We Bury, which Manouchehri wrote, directed, produced, and edited, continued her exploration of psychologically complex characters, intimate relationships, and the experiences of young women. The film received Honorable Mentions for Best Thriller Film and Best Women Director, continuing her recognition on the same Los Angeles festival circuit that first recognized The Movie Theatre.

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Manouchehri is currently developing a new web series, The Good Daughter, with Bell Fibe TV1, continuing her relationship with the platform following Teenage Fever. She is also developing her next narrative short film, Homecoming, an intimate coming-of-age family drama exploring the emotional complexities of a family in crisis through the perspective of a teenage girl.

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Across her work, Manouchehri is committed to creating emotionally intimate, character-driven films and advocating for greater opportunities for young women behind the camera. Her filmmaking is grounded in the belief that young storytellers should not simply be represented on screen, but should be given the resources, trust, and creative authority to tell their own stories.