Ms. Umewaka is of Japanese-Lebanese descent. A Noh actress who has performed at the National Noh Theatre since the age of 3, she has used a lifetime of Noh training to attune her observations of the subtleties found in the arts. Her mid-length film Street Witness was screened at the Miami International Film Festival 2008, HBO NY Latino Film Festival 2008, Belgrade Documentary Film Festival 2009, and the Princeton Human Rights Film Festival 2008. She received Princeton University’s Labouisse Fellowship to make Eu Sou Feliz (I am Happy), which was screened at a similarly impressive lineup of international festivals.

Soraya has directed a Japanese television program as well as documentaries for the World Intellectual Property Organization and was awarded the Prize of International School on Mind, Brain and Education in 2010.
Her documentary project 'Tomorrow We Will See' was awarded the jury prize of 2012 Deutsche Bank Creative Award.

She graduated with a degree in comparative politics from Princeton University