Understory Films was founded in 2021 by Sepehr Samimi and Jen Muranetz and is dedicated to making award-winning, impactful, and story-driven documentaries and narrative films. We are based on the unceded and ancestral territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations, known as Vancouver, BC.

The phrase "Understory" refers to the layers of plants and undergrowth covering a forest floor. Mirroring the natural world, our films dive below the canopy to create meaningful, critical, and thought-provoking subjects, with an aim to spark discussion and shift perspectives on critical social, environmental, and political issues of our time.

Our works have screened in film festivals worldwide. We've been supported by Telefilm Canada, Creative BC, Canada Council for the Arts, BC Arts Council, and the National Film Board of Canada. Our team has participated in programs such as Hot Docs Accelerator, Canadian Creative Accelerator, DOC NYC Voices of Canada, and Whistler Docs Lab.