Film Composer and Artist
Music that moves through
memory, body, and dream
About Me
I’m a singer, pianist, and composer based in San Francisco’s foggy Sunset District, where most mornings begin with my husband and son, a cold plunge, and a melody. My music is emotional, textured, and dreamlike—often built around sounds that move through the body: strings, synths, and keys that carry both weight and wonder. Listeners have called it ethereal, though I also love stretching into new territories, from EDM and house to cumbia and hip hop.
I first discovered composition while studying at UCLA, after a broken ankle nudged me away from dance. Having trained as a dancer for most of my life—and even performing salsa professionally at 14—rhythm and movement remain at the core of how I write. Whether I’m scoring for film or creating songs of my own, I’m always searching for the emotional undercurrent: what’s unspoken, but deeply felt.
Over the years, I’ve composed for short films, documentaries, and narrative features, while also releasing solo work that blends voice, piano, and ambient textures. Scoring for film has become one of my greatest joys—finding the emotional potential in a scene and making it visceral through sound.
I’m also the co-owner of Gooroo Music, a custom music and licensing company, where I collaborate with engineers and composers in the Bay Area and beyond. I love that I get to work alongside such inspiring and talented audio engineers and composers through Gooroo Music. It’s all about working with good people and making the most beautiful thing possible.
Selected Work & Recognition
Zoe: A Surf Story (Documentary Short)
Best Documentary Short, Chicago International Film Festival. Premiered at Old Princeton Landing (2023).
If I Were You (Dance Film)
Awards: Best Soundtrack, Cinedanza Festival (Italy); Best Performance, International Avant-Garde Film Awards (2024); Audience Attention Grabber, Knowbox Dance Film Fest. Festival run: Dance on Camera Festival (New York Premiere, 2025), Lights Dance Festival (2024), InShadow Videodance Festival, Berlin Dance Film Festival (2025).
Motherhood (Short Film)
Awards: Best Dance Film, San Francisco Dance Film Festival; Best Short Film, Yucca Valley Film Festival (2025). Festival run: Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema, Dare to Dance in Public Film Festival, Frame Rush, Moving Body Film Festival, Frame x Frame Dance Film Festival, International ScreenDance Festival.
The Dolphins (Documentary Short)
Festival run: International Ocean Film Festival, Coast Film & Music Festival, Blue Water Film Festival, Big Blue Film Fest. Special screenings: Artist’s Television Access, Four Star Theater, Dolphin Swimming & Boating Club Clubhouse.
Deville (Narrative Short)
Festival run: San Francisco Independent Film Festival, BraveMaker Film Festival, Locals Only Short Film Festival. Premiered at Chabot Theater (2025), with San Francisco premiere at the Roxie Theater.
Mouthpiece (Narrative Short)
Premiered at Palm Springs ShortFest.
Re-entrification (Feature Documentary)
Featured on KQED. Screenings include BraveMaker (2024), 99 Leland, Presidio Theatre, and Yerba Buena Conference Room.
Catch Me (Dance Film)
Featured at San Francisco International Airport Art Gallery and Films.Dance.
Road to L’Étape du Tour (Feature Narrative)
Score completed in 2025. Premiered at Cinequest in San Jose and is entering the 2026 festival circuit.
Mill Valley Film Festival (2023)
Composer; Official Trailer Composer.
Space Bath
Composer of a 22-minute immersive work exploring dreams and death, featured on Bandcamp, in Dolby Atmos showcases, and as a contemporary dance film.
Novelle
Composer of a neoclassical single featured by Spotify as one of the Best New Neoclassical Pieces of the Week.
Howl
Composer of a singer-songwriter album blending voice, piano, and ambient textures.
Reflections from Filmmakers
“I love working with Sami! She has a natural and accurate sensibility to the vibe and creative direction on a wide range of collaborations we’ve worked on. I especially appreciate her lean toward nuance in soundscaping — she often creates sound bed environments that feel unexpected and add beautiful layers of depth to the music.”
— Gaby Scott, Filmmaker and Director (Zoe: A Surf Story, The Dolphins)"It has been an honor and a pleasure to work with Sami Freeman. Her attention to detail and discipline in her craft have made her an excellent collaborative partner in multiple projects. Her work — from composing music for our feature documentary, Re-Entrification, to writing and performing at various venues throughout the Bay Area — has had a profound and lasting impact. Sami is a true artist who truly cares about each project she works on and continues to show her brilliance in her work."
— Lyrical Opposition, Filmmakers (Re-entrification)“Working with Sami was a dreamlike experience! I feel very fortunate to have worked with Sami; she does a beautiful job of understanding a project and creating sound that resonates deeply. Her work as a composer played a crucial role in elevating the story and breathing life into the visuals of my film!”
— Nicole Spring, Filmmaker and Director (Motherhood)
All Film Composed by Sami Freeman
Inspired by a tender moment in bed, this short film is a love letter to mothers navigating the early days of postpartum, where exhaustion, loneliness, and love intertwine. “In the light of dawn, she awakens in her nest. one baby under her wing, the other two in search of food.”
A short documentary by Gaby Scott about the legendary Dolphin Club members, and the beauty of cold open water swimming. Festival Circuit happening now.
Zoe’s journey has led her to become a NorCal pro charger and rising star in the surf scene. At just 16 years old, Zoe was bravely charging 20 foot waves at Mavericks and showing up as a fierce competitor on the USA Jr. National Surf team.
In “If I Were You,” a couple shares an oscillating dance of intention and disruption. They move through a continuous exchange of support and potential peril, pushing themselves and each other toward self-discovery. Awarded best soundtrack at Cinedanza festival in Italy. Please reach out to see the full film.
Lost in the physical memories of the past, she longs to be caught, thrown, and held by her acrobatic partner.
Mill Valley Film Festival Main Trailer
My 22 minute piece, Space Bath. Filmmaker Gaby Scott edits a dreamlike sequence inspired by the music.
Custom music for Spoken Word by San Francisco poet Laureate Tongo Eisen- Martin. Excerpt from doc Re-entrification
A story of four Northern California surfers who all share a wildness and passion for the bigger days at Ocean Beach in San Francisco.
Excerpt from Re-entrification
“Coexistence” explores our complex relationship with nature, questioning whether we are in complete harmony, facing total destruction, or still striving to find balance.
Olas by Sami Freeman, performed by Sami Freeman and Phillip Peterson. Video made by Emil Tjärnström. From Emil Tjärnström in the North of Sweden. "I sat on a bus and listened to it while the winter landscape passed outside my window. I live in the north of Sweden, in the winter the sun barely touched the treetops and the low light that came and went made a poetic show."
Reentrification features insightful interviews with people who’ve lived through evictions and periods of housing insecurity.
Co-composer for song ‘Somewhere Right Now,’ to go with Penguin Random House published book ‘Somewhere Right Now’ by Kerry Docherty
Excerpt from doc Re-entrification
