Shadi Soheili is an Iranian-Australian writer and director, whose work explores the raw, the subversive, and the deeply human. ​

With a Bachelor’s degree in Film Studies from the University of Sydney and a Diploma in Production Management from AFTRS, she combines academic insight with hands-on industry experience.

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Shadi has worked across television, film, and commercial productions in a variety of roles—most notably as Director’s Assistant to Emmy-nominated director Bharat Nalluri on the Disney+ series The Last Days of the Space Age. Her on-set experience also includes work

as a third assistant director, extra's casting assistant, on-set PA, production assistant and producers assistant, equipping her with a deep, practical understanding of the filmmaking process—insight

that strengthens her voice as a writer/director who understands

every layer of a production.

 

Born to working-class immigrant parents, Shadi found her earliest sense of wonder and belonging in cinema. Film became her refuge

and her voice—fueling a lifelong passion to tell stories that challenge, resonate, and reveal deeper social truths. Her work is deeply informed by personal and intergenerational experiences with trauma, identity, and belonging.

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Shadi's debut short film, Respect The Kink, was a semi-finalist at the Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival. Her second film, Joonè Delam—Farsi for “My Life, My Heart”—is currently on the international festival circuit.