Senait Mengstab

Senait Mengstab is a Bay Area–based writer and director whose work explores identity, memory, and the quiet tension between who we are and who we are expected to be. Drawing from her Eritrean heritage and lived experience, her films center intimate moments where culture, performance, and self-perception intersect.

Her work often sits between narrative and observation, where images carry emotional weight and silence holds meaning. She is drawn to a restrained visual language and stories that unfold through gesture, atmosphere, and presence rather than exposition.

She is the writer and director of the short film Grins & Lies, which examines the quiet evolution of identity and self-perception. She is currently developing Wild Rise, a documentary exploring fermentation, culture, and adaptation through the lens of pandemic-era sourdough and Eritrean food traditions.

Through Sunny Night Productions, she creates space for stories that are culturally grounded, emotionally honest, and visually intentional. The work reflects both where we come from and the futures we are still learning to imagine.