Shanti Scalpello is a 21 year-old director, writer and producer, recently graduating from the University of Manchester with a 1st class BA degree in English Literature & Film Studies. She started her career as an actor, working with various theatre companies including the Stratford Theatre Royal and National Youth Theatre. Beginning to experiment with her own camera, her love for music led to her videography work for music event companies as well as cutting personal projects on Premiere Pro. Pursuing her passion for the creative industry, she trained in Scriptwriting at the Donmar Warehouse Company and took part in their careers initiatives through her later teen years. This is where she began writing what would become her first debut short film ‘JADED HAZE’, released in 2025. She worked with a talented ensemble cast of up-and-coming actors and minimal crew to bring her rites-of-passage nightclub narrative to fruition, exploring relevant contemporary themes of spiking, sexual assault, drug-taking and power dynamics – nominated for Best First Time Filmmaker Short at the Liverpool Indie Awards. Shanti was also approached to direct her featurette ‘WHERE YOU AT’; a story of love within London’s youth culture scene, undertaking a role as both director & co-producer. Alongside post-production, Shanti is also in pre-production for her upcoming short: a one-woman monologue reflecting on the perils of ‘casual’ intimacy and its emotional costs. Shanti is primarily interested in telling stories that center on the experiences, challenges and triumphs of young women. In an industry and world where the perspectives of young women are still marginalised and misunderstood, she aims to create realistic and powerful representations that offer a mirror to young women seeking themselves on screen. Themes of youth culture and autonomy are deeply important to Shanti’s vision as she hopes to inspire, connect, empower and celebrate through cinema.