Sarah Pillsbury

Producer Sarah Pillsbury was most prolific as part of the Sanford/Pillsbury production team, working alongside Midge Sanford in a pairing well-known for their acclaimed and popular character-driven independents. Before the beginning of her association with Sanford, Pillsbury worked on documentaries, starting her career as associate producer of the 1976 Oscar-nominated white supremacist documentary "The California Reich." She produced the Ron Ellis live action Academy Award-winning short "Board and Care" (1979) before meeting up with Midge Sanford in 1980. After raising capital, they formed Sanford/Pillsbury Productions in 1982, a company that has consistently released high-caliber independent films, working with directors including John Sayles, Susan Seidelman and Jonathan Kaplan. In 1995, the producing team signed a first look development deal with DreamWorks SKG, leading to their involvement in the 1999 releases "The Love Letter" and "The Joyriders."