Films aren’t just seen. they’re felt.

Better Half Pictures is a Texas-based independent film company led by writer-director Sarah Joy Byington and editor-producer Samuel Butler, partners in both life and storytelling. With a shared passion for bold, character-driven narratives, they create emotionally resonant films that explore themes of resilience, identity, and justice, often blending grounded drama with sharp, ironic humor. Their debut short Labor + Justice premiered at the Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival in 2023 and has received multiple awards on the festival circuit.

Together, Sarah and Sam bring a uniquely collaborative process to every project by merging strong direction, authentic performances, and finely crafted post-production to tell unforgettable, meaningful stories. Better Half Pictures currently has multiple feature films in development.

Sarah Joy Byington directing Deserteur indie short film from Better Half Pictures
Portrait of Sarah Joy Byington award-winning writer and director

Sarah Joy Byington

SARAH JOY BYINGTON is an award-winning writer, director and co-founder of Better Half Pictures. She wrote and directed the short film LABOR + JUSTICE, which screened at HollyShorts 2023 and DIFF Shorts 2024, earning multiple awards including Best Director at the Austin Spotlight Film Festival 2024. Her other directorial credits include the short films SOMEWHERE YOU FEEL FREE which won Best Film at the Austin International Art Festival, and DESERTEUR which premiered at the 2025 Austin Film Festival. Her work has been recognized by Not Your Daddy’s Films, naming her one of 2025’s Directors To Watch.  I HATE THAT WE’RE RELATED is in the top 5% of screenplay coverage on The Blacklist.

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Samuel butler

SAMUEL BUTLER is a film editor, producer, and co-founder of Better Half Pictures. He most recently edited and produced John Valley’s American Dollhouse, which had its world premiere at SXSW 2026. Butler is also known for editing A.J. Edwards’ Age Out, starring Tye Sheridan which had its world premiere at SXSW 2018, won multiple international awards, and was praised by RogerEbert.com as “a striking, mesmerizing piece of work.” Other editorial credits also include Drew Water’s New Life, Kerstin Karlhuber’s After All, as well as the Tribeca-premiering series Home.

Sarah Joy Byington and Samuel Butler SXSW 2026 American Dollhouse World Premiere
A black and white photo of a film set with crew members and actors preparing for a scene. The crew is working around camera equipment, with some looking on attentively.
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