Safien van Westing

Safien is a young director born and raised in Amsterdam.

She attended an arts-focused high school, where she began

writing and directing her first short films. In 2021, after

graduating, she moved to Denmark to study at the European

Film College, further developing her voice as a filmmaker.

After completing her studies, Safien relocated to Berlin, where

she spent three years working at the international production

company ANORAK Film. During her time there, the company

produced and financed her short film Philophobic. The film

screened at international festivals, including New York Film

Week, and earned Safien the Best Young Filmmaker award at

the Wimbledon Short Film Festival. She also directed the music

video Backwards Into U for the artist Ledbyher.

Safien is currently studying Directing at the Filmakademie

Baden-Württemberg, one of Europe's leading film schools.

Through her work, she explores the impact of digitalization on

Generation Z, examining how technology reshapes identity,

intimacy, and the loss of genuine human connection. Her films

are driven by a fascination with the emotional complexities of

growing up in an increasingly digital world.