Shelagh Mcleod
After an international career as an actor, Shelagh stepped behind the camera. Her debut feature film as writer/director Astronaut stars Academy award winning actor Richard Dreyfuss. Astronaut was selected for Best of the Fest at Edinburgh Film Festival & after a North American theatrical release, Hulu & Sky purchased the film and Shelagh was awarded best director at the UK National Film Awards. Her subsequent screenplay Nexus was shortlisted for Sundance Screenwriter’s Lab, selected for The Writer’s Lab & won 1st prize at Vail Film Festival. Writing, directing, and producing across genres, her short films have won awards at several film festivals. Attached to direct The Visit, (Sundance longlisted, PAGE award finalist) Shelagh is producing the feature film An Austrian Holiday, (JETS winner 2023) & the comedy feature Born to Bingo written by Shelagh & Rupert Bryan. Attached to direct her co-written pilot Invisible, optioned by Shaftesbury Films, she is also attached to direct the feature thriller Lake Red.
Shelagh has Canadian/ British citizenship.
Selected Credits
- Writer/Director/Producer - Coming Back. Short – (completed June 2024)
- Producer - An Austrian Holiday feature (Ann Hawker writer/director) late development stage
- Producer - Cliff Edge (Ann Hawker writer/director) Short- (In Postproduction)
- Producer – Fly Free (Ann Hawker writer/director) (Short) Selected for London Independent FF, Kingston IFF 2024
- Producer: RIBS (Rupert Bryan writer/director) completed
- Writer/Director/Associate Producer: Astronaut (Feature Film) (Theatrical release/ Hulu/Amazon/Sky) Fantasia Film Festival, Edinburgh International Film Festival, Taormina. 2019/20
- Writer: Nexus - (Winner – The Writers Lab (USA) Finalist PAGE screenwriting competition. 1st Prize, Vail Film Festival, Shortlisted Sundance Screenwriting Lab) Optioned – Good Movies
- Writer/Director/Producer: The Return (Short) Best Director (Art Spirit FF, Best Short film LA and Screenwriting FF, Best Director at Las Vegas, Fantasy, Kingston, London & Colorado Springs Film Festivals
- Co-Writer: Invisible - (TV pilot) (Shortlisted for Film 21, Sundance, Writer’s Lab Finalist) Optioned - Shaftsbury Films.
- Writer/ Director/Producer: The Great Escape (Short) -(Premiered at Rhode Island FF. Best Short film - London Independent FF)
- Writer: The Visit – (Nicholls top 15%.) (Finalist, PAGE) Optioned – Buck Productions
- Writer/Director/Producer Run (Short) (Awards: Canada, Vancouver, Berlin Shorts, Asia Short Film Festivals)
- Writer/Director /Producer David Rose (Short) 2012 (Best Short – Canada & LA Film Festival)
Awards and Highlights
- LA Film and Screenwriting festival – Best Film
- Edinburgh Film Festival – Best of the Fest (Astronaut)
- JETS 2023 – Winner UK
- Vail Film Festival – Best Screenplay (2022)
- LA Film and Script Festival – Best Narrative Short (2022)
- The National Film Awards, Best Director, (Astronaut) (2021)
- Meryl Streep/Nicole Kidman Writer’s Lab, Official Selection (2018)
- Sundance Screenwriters Lab Finalist
- JETS, Berlinale, Winner 2017
- PAGE Screenwriting AWARDS – Finalist 2020
- PAGE Screenwriting AWARDS – Finalist – 2021
- Meryl Streep/Nicole Kidman Writer’s Lab – Finalist 2021
Directors ACTRA, Directors UK, BAFTA, Sag, WGGB, Equity member.
Agents: Jennifer Goldhar at Characters. UK Richard Bucknall.


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