The Filmmaker
Behind the Lens
A conversation with the director of What Connects Us
The Director
Sim Grewall's path to What Connects Us began with an interest in documenting the 40th anniversary of CS MANTECH and introducing audiences to the fascinating world of compound semiconductor technology. As he researched the conference and began meeting its participants, however, the focus shifted from the technology itself to the tightly connected community behind it.
With a background that blends storytelling, music, and a career spent working around complex organizations and ideas, Grewall is drawn to stories where seemingly unrelated worlds intersect. His work explores identity, community, culture, and the people who give larger stories their meaning.
Sim Grewall is best known for his award-winning short documentary REBUILT (2014), which tells the story of his father, a turbaned Sikh who blazed Californian trails in the '50s and left a legacy for his children and grandchildren to enjoy and remember.
I wanted to make a human-centered documentary that looks beyond the technology to explore the people, relationships, culture, and shared curiosity that connect a community, and the universal experience of being a beginner again.— Sim Grewall, Director, What Connects Us
Director's Statement
Why This Film
Every year, scores of people converge on a conference that most of the world has never heard of. They are among the most accomplished engineers and scientists alive. And yet the story of what draws them together — the friendships, the mentorships, the shared obsession — has never been told on film.
I made What Connects Us because I believed that story deserved to be told. Not the technical story (though that is remarkable) but the human one. The story of a community that has been quietly shaping the modern world for decades, bound together by something that goes far beyond the work.
This film is for them. And I hope it's also for anyone who has ever found their people, who knows what it means to belong to something larger than yourself.
Production
Credits
Director
Sim Grewall
Producer
Sim Grewall & 2026 CS MANTECH Board of Directors
Director of Photography
Sim Grewall
Editor
Sim Grewall
Original Score
Sim Grewall, Dennis Szymanski, & Ryan Culton
Learn More About the Film
Explore the full story, request a screener, or reach out about festival programming.