Director
Moderator: Hearts, Minds and Eyes: Ethics, Law and Gatekeeping in Documentary Production and Distribution
Legal Tango
Shameela worked for several years in the field of law and research – including at the Constitutional Court, Unifem and Idasa, before turning to filmmaking. Her documentary Whispering Truth to Power (2018), about the last year in office of South Africa’s first female Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela, opened several film festivals, and won multiple international awards including from HOT DOCS, FESPACO, the Luxor African Film Festival, Minneapolis St Paul’s Film Festival, Jozi Film Festival and the African Studies Association. Shameela’s second feature-length documentary African Moot (2022) had its world premiere at Hot Docs and is also screening at the Sydney Film Festival and Encounters. In 2019, Shameela was the first in-resident film activist at the Tshisimani Centre for Activist Education and served on several documentary film juries over recent years, including at the Sydney Film Festival and the Adiaha Women filmmakers Awards.