Shasha Nakhai

Filipino-Iranian Canadian film director

Shasha Nakhai

Nationality	Canadian
Occupation(s)	film director, producer
Years active	2010s-present
Known for	Take Light, Scarborough

Shasha Nakhai is a Filipino-Iranian Canadian film director, most noted as co-director with Rich Williamson of the 2021 film Scarborough.^[1] The film won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Picture, and Nakhai and Williamson won the award for Best Director, at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards in 2022.^[2]

A partner with Williamson in the production firm Compy Films,^[3] she first became known for her 2018 documentary film Take Light,^[4] which was a CSA nominee for Best Short Documentary at the 5th Canadian Screen Awards in 2017.^[5] She was also a producer of Williamson's short documentary film Frame 394,^[6] which was a CSA nominee for Best Short Documentary at the 5th Canadian Screen Awards in 2017.^[7]

Scarborough, codirected by Nakhai and Williamson as their debut narrative feature film, premiered at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival.^[8] It was named the winner of the Changemaker Award, was first runner-up for the People's Choice Award, and received an honorable mention from the jury for the Best Canadian Film award.^[9] It was nominated for the Toronto Film Critics Association's Rogers Best Canadian Film Award.^[10]

Her other films have included The Sugar Bowl (2011), Paruparo (2013), 18 Roses (2016), The Hole in Reservoir Hill (2018)^[11] and Thirty Eight Minutes (2020).

References

^ Barry Hertz, "How Scarborough’s filmmakers overcame a pandemic, Plexiglass and a pint-sized budget to make a new Canadian masterpiece". The Globe and Mail, February 24, 2022.
^ Jenna Benchetrit, "Scarborough wins 3 Canadian Screen Awards, including best motion picture". CBC News, April 10, 2022.
^ Lauren Malyk, "Cameras roll on Compy Films’ Scarborough". Playback, August 26, 2019.
^ Jordan Pinto, "Gravitas Ventures picks up Shasha Nakhai’s Take Light". Playback, August 23, 2018.
^ Brent Furdyk, "2017 Canadian Screen Awards nominees revealed". Global News, January 17, 2017.
^ Tara Deschamps, "‘Frame 394’ documentary questions what happened in Walter Scott police shooting in South Carolina". Toronto Star, March 10, 2017.
^ Brent Furdyk, "2017 Canadian Screen Awards nominees revealed". Global News, January 17, 2017.
^ Rebecca Rubin, "Toronto Film Festival Unveils Contemporary World Cinema and Discovery Lineup". Variety, July 28, 2021.
^ Steve Pond, "‘Belfast’ Wins Toronto Film Festival’s People’s Choice Award". TheWrap, September 18, 2021.
^ Pat Mullen, "Drive My Car Leads TFCA Award Winners". That Shelf, January 16, 2022.
^ "Short doc explores North Bay's cold war past". CBC Northern Ontario, September 19, 2018.