Sarah Playford

Sarah is a freelance film composer based in London. Her music is often minimal, not just in terms of style but also space, thinking more in terms of textures and colours which often dictate her soundscapes.

Her first collaboration with director Jenny Jokela on the short animation Barbeque was selected by Channel 4 to be broadcast as part of their fifth Random Acts Series. In 2023 they collaborated on the sequel ‘Sweet Like Lemons’ which was longlisted for a BAFTA in 2024. Since then Sarah has written the music for the BBC documentary film ‘Trump: The Criminal Conspiracy Case’ headed by BAFTA-winning director Marian Mohammed in collaboration with 72Films. The documentary covers Trump’s attempt to overturn the election in 2020, a film which the Guardian described as “outstanding but blood-chilling”. Sarah has also written the music for an upcoming SKY series due to be released later in 2025.

Sarah has been nominated for multiple awards for her scoring work. In 2021, My Other Suit Is Human was nominated in the category for ‘Best Short Film’ at the IFTA’s, with her score nominated for ‘Best Score’ at the UK’s OXIFF. In both 2020 and 2024 Sarah’s scores to ‘Do You Have Kids?’ and Strength were nominated for the Peer Raben Music Award by Soundtrack Cologne. The film Strength received wide recognition in it’s objective to present the various forms of strength seen in women throughout their lives premiering at Underwire Festival’s ‘Everyday Women Warrior’s’ program and winning the ‘Women’s Rights Award’ at Trés Court Film Festival.

Her music career began as a student at the University of Bristol then onto the Royal College of Music where she graduated with an MComp in Composition for Screen in 2018. Since then, Sarah has worked on features, television productions and in 2018 ventured into the theatre scene composing the music for RADA's production of Women Beware Women staged at the Jerwood Vanbrugh Theatre in London. She has since worked as composer assistant to Gary Yershon for The Old Vic’s production of 4000 Miles (dir. Matthew Warchus) starring Timothée Chalamet and Eileen Atkins.

Her electronica track Altitude was also featured on Universal Production Music’s first ever all female produced album titled 100% HER.

Sarah has also worked in the music department for features in collaboration with studios such as Netflix, SKY and the BBC. Namely working as orchestrator with the London Contemporary Orchestra on Netflix’s ‘The Forgotten Battle’ dir. by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. as well as orchestrating for the BBC feature ‘Long Live My Happy Head’ dir. by Will Hewitt and Austen McCowan.

Sarah has also written additional music for Felicity Morris’ (Don’t F**k With Cats, Tinder Swindler) Netflix series ‘American Nightmare’ alongside BAFTA winning composer Jessica Jones as well as an upcoming documentary series for SKY in collaboration with BAFTA winning composer Nick Foster.