Scenarist and director Sia Hermanides (1986) aims to create new images and showcase underrepresented stories through her films and series. After earning her Bachelor’s degree in Media and Culture (minor in Gender Studies, Political Science) from the University of Amsterdam, and spending a few months teaching in Tanzania, Hermanides graduated with honors in 2010 from the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht, specializing in fiction writing and directing.

Sia wrote and directed the TV series VOETBALMEISJES (BosBros). The series was nominated for the Prix Genève and won the Cinekid Kinderkast Jury award. She directed the series PAPADAG and the mid-length film AFUA, which received praise from both the audience and the press. Emma Curvers from the Volkskrant wrote: ‘Afua passes one of the toughest film tests: the teenage test.’ Over the past two years, Hermanides has written and directed seasons 1 and 2 of the popular martial arts TV series NINJA NANNY. The series received a five-star review in the NRC and has been sold to multiple countries, including Germany, Denmark, Norway, South Korea, and Slovenia. The series was also nominated for the Cinekid Kinderkast Jury Award and the prestigious Prix de Jeunesse.

Sia made her debut with the feature film WHITE BERRY (Family Affair Films), telling the story of a young woman of African descent with albinism searching for her place in the world.