Sara Chishti is a New York–based filmmaker dedicated to telling urgent, underrepresented stories that confront systemic injustice. She is currently directing TAXI DRIVER, a vérité documentary exploring the predatory taxi medallion crisis that has devastated New York City’s immigrant cabbies.
In addition to directing, Sara is producing two notable projects: EXODUS, a documentary directed by Nimco Sheikhaden about the challenges of re-entry after incarceration, which premiered at SXSW 2025, is executive produced by Geeta Gandbhir, Blair Foster, and Rudy Valdez and is nominated for a Critics Choice Awards; and Mama Fela, a short film about a Bed-Stuy-based educator, executive produced by Shaka King.
A graduate of Johns Hopkins University’s Film and Media Studies program, Sara recently wrapped on HBO’s continuation of the landmark documentary series Eyes on the Prize, executive produced by Dawn Porter and directed by Geeta Gandbhir. She also produced San Juan Hill: Manhattan’s Lost Neighborhood—a Firelight Films documentary on the history of Lincoln Center—executive produced by Stanley Nelson.
Sara is a Brown Girls Doc Mafia Sustainable Artist Fellow and a 2025 Bitchitra Collective Fellow. Her filmmaking is driven by a commitment to challenging dominant narratives and centering the voices of those too often overlooked.

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ABOUT Taxi Driver

Amid crippling debt and relentless exploitation, New York City’s immigrant taxi drivers fight to reclaim their humanity and the "American Dream," navigating a city-sanctioned medallion lending scheme that has left their community in financial ruin.

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Film

Taxi Driver

Program Affiliation

Firelight Fund

Cohort Year

2025

Instagram

@sara.chishti