She studied literature before attending the renowned Parisian film school IDHEC (Institut des hautes études cinématographiques), specialising in scriptwriting and direction.

[1] Sahraoui moved to France in 1975 where she began her career as a documentary filmmaker.

She made her first short film, Houria in 1980, then worked as an editor and assistant, before going on to make her own documentaries from the 1990s.

[2] Her 1995 documentary, La moitié du ciel d'Allah, featured interviews with Algerian women about work and their struggles for equality and freedom.

In 1997, she was named the laureate of la Villa Medicis due to her success.