Shona Charlton

An Indian born Writer-Director, I have been directing for more than 20 years.

I was fortunate to be selected for the 2020 ARRI and Directors UK Trinity Challenge scheme and the finished short 'The Sacrifice' was screened in January 2020. It went on to screen at international film festivals including Oscar and Bafta qualifying ones.

Currently in post on the first of a series of 'Short Films on Trauma' created with Harmless UK, a leading charity working on self-harm and suicide prevention. Previous short The Guard (Horror, 2018) was partly financed by crowd-funding and won several awards as did The Ghost in the Kamera (Children's/Fantasy, 2017).

Prior to this, I was a Documentary and Promo Director, having worked for Discovery Channel and the BBC. My documentary "The Vanishing People"  is still the only one of its kind shot amongst a remote Andaman Island tribes. The 2005 docu "For Love or Izzat - Forced Marriage in Britain" addressed a taboo subject amongst our Asian community while "Flames in the Looking Glass" (2007) followed the lives of HIV-positive Transgenders and premiered at Raindance Film Festival. The short film "afterimage" (2000) was shot on 16mm black and white film for the Charles Wallace arts fund. Other awards I have received include the Hubert Bals Fund Award of the Rotterdam Film Festival and the RAPA (Radio and TV Producers Association) award. 

My love of the craft is infectious and makes for a vibrant and exciting film set. I love shooting on film, I am currently trying out the latest film stocks available for my vintage Super 8 camera. I am also a published illustrator of children’s books and an artist painting in ink (sumi-e). Being a visual thinker first and foremost, I like to storyboard my films and promos.