The filmmaker retraces her grandmother's Auschwitz survival story and investigates how her life-long fight against intolerance can be passed on to new generations in the 21st century.
Serena Dykman is a New York–based filmmaker and self-described “culture-clasher” who uses storytelling to connect people through humor, heart, and humanity. A proud third-culture kid, she was born in Paris and raised across Brussels, the French Antilles, London, and New York. Her global upbringing fuels her passion for exploring identity and cross-cultural connections.
A graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts Film & Television program and a member of the WGA East, Serena has collaborated with renowned talents including
Saul Rubinek (Hunters), Shahadi Wright Joseph (Us), and James V. Hart (Hook, Contact). Her films have screened at more than eighty international festivals, including Oscar-qualifiers, and earned over twenty-five awards, including a Webby Award and a Humanitas Prize nomination.
At just 23, Serena directed her debut feature documentary NANA, about her
grandmother’s survival of Auschwitz. The film was theatrically released by First Run Features and led her to speak internationally at institutions such as the European Commission and Amnesty International.
In 2024 alone, she directed three shorts—BABKA, M.U.B., and AT SEE—across narrative and documentary. She has collaborated with major cultural institutions including the Guggenheim Museum and the New York City Ballet Choreographic Institute, and has worked on film projects across the world, from Myanmar to Poland.
