Sonder Films LLC – Mission Statement
Founded by Niousha Noor

A few years ago, while traveling through Italy with my mother, we took an unplanned exit and found ourselves in a small town we’d never heard of. There were no tourists — just life unfolding: a man heading to a café, children playing in the alleyways, a woman hanging laundry from a balcony. In a place I hadn’t known existed just moments before, I was struck by the fullness of lives already in motion — entire worlds quietly being lived. It was the feeling of sonder — the profound realization that every passerby lives a life as rich, layered, and complex as your own. That every soul is a story. And it’s that feeling that inspired me to launch Sonder Films. As an actor and writer, I’ve had the privilege of working on stories that have reached audiences around the world — from The Persian Version (Sundance Audience Award, Sony Pictures Classics) to Netflix’s global #1 limited series Kaleidoscope, as well as The Night (IFC) and others. My experience in front of the camera has shaped how I approach storytelling behind it. As an Iranian American navigating this industry, I know firsthand how important human-first stories are — stories that go beyond representation and reach for truth, complexity, and connection. These are the kind of stories that quietly change how we see one another. And I believe cinema is the most powerful medium we have to do that.