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Everything begins with curiosity.
Curiosity leads to encounters.
Every encounter holds a story.
And stories can change the way we see the world.
Five chapters, one story.
Take your time to explore.
Who I Am
Hi, I’m Samuel Häde, a German documentary filmmaker and reporter based in Tbilisi, Georgia. Across the Caucasus and many other parts of the world, I follow people with my camera and tell their stories.
What Drives Me
What fascinates me most are lives that are different from my own. For me, every great story begins with a genuine curiosity about another person’s perspective. That’s where my work begins, too.
My documentaries are an invitation to discover people, places and ways of life that might otherwise remain unseen. Not every story brings people closer together. Some reveal conflict, contradiction, or uncomfortable truths. But if they encourage us to approach others with fewer prejudices and better understand the complexity of our world, they’ve achieved exactly what I hope for.
How I Work
The way I work shapes the films I make. Working alone or in small two-person crews allows me to adapt quickly and build the trust that makes authentic, unscripted moments possible.
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The Stories I Tell
My documentaries follow people whose lives reveal identity, conflict, and social change. Whether it's a Bollywood actor navigating fame, young volunteers on the front lines in Ukraine, shepherds preserving centuries-old traditions in Georgia, or women confronting Mexico's femicide crisis, I use personal stories to explore the forces shaping our world.
Rather than explaining global issues from a distance, I tell them through the people living them. My films are driven by curiosity, trust, and often long-term relationships, offering an intimate perspective on lives rarely seen from the inside.
At their core, my documentaries ask one simple question: What can another person's story teach us about ourselves?
Where My Work Takes Me
Since 2020, I have worked with Germany’s public broadcasters ARD and ZDF. In 2021, I was named one of Germany’s Top 30 Journalists Under 30 by medium magazin in recognition of my young career. Today, I report from the Caucasus and wherever a good story takes me.
Four crafts.
One documentary.
Concept Development and Research
The work on a documentary begins long before the first day of filming. Every story is built on thorough research. Whenever possible, I spend time on location to understand the people, places, and context behind a story—because only those who know the context can tell it authentically.
Cinematography
Every story deserves its own visual language. From concepts and treatments, I develop a cinematic approach that combines documentary authenticity with visual storytelling, from the first idea to the final frame. My lightweight production setup allows me to stay close to the story, adapt quickly, and capture intimate moments that are often out of reach for larger crews, without compromising on visual quality.
Reporting
The best stories are still found on location. As a reporter and documentary filmmaker, I follow people and events where stories unfold, both in front of and behind the camera. Having completed Hostile Environment and Emergency First Aid (HEFAT) training, I am prepared to conduct research and film in demanding and high-risk environments.
Editing and Post-Production
A large part of the work begins once filming has wrapped. Because I develop most of my documentaries myself, I also oversee the post-production. Staying involved throughout the process helps preserve the story’s rhythm, tone, and original vision.
Stories, I’ve told.
