CARLA SHAH
FILMMAKER
Carla (Japan, 1988) is a British documentary filmmaker based in Edinburgh, UK. She uses portraits of human experiences to highlight big issues. From social justice to mental health, her films are raw, sensitive, poetic and frank. To Carla, filmmaking is most exciting when it allows her to investigate the fabric of life and to do it in collaboration with people from different backgrounds and perspectives.
For more than a decade, Carla has partnered with communities, social movements and NGOs as a filmmaker, researcher, and ally. To Carla, it is an immense privilege to be invited into peoples lives and that she is trusted to share their stories. In her view, true collaboration hinges on the contributor's agency and a process marked with respect, integrity and compassion.
Carla holds an MA in Documentary Filmmaking from the Edinburgh College of Art (2022), a technical diploma in editing and montage from Escola de Cinema Darcy Ribeiro (ECDR, 2013), and a BA in Social Anthropology from the London School of Economics (2009). Her most recent short, “The Tomorrow That’ll Come” (2022) commissioned by the Scottish Documentary Institute and Screen Scotland as part of their talent initiative Bridging the Gap, had its world premiere at the Edinburgh Film Festival. Carla is currently working on her first feature, “Thread”, which received development support in 2023 from the Scottish Documentary Institute's WRITE NOW fund. She lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, with her two daughters and partner.
For CV and hire contact via email