Bio
Award-winning stage and film director, Shira-Lee Shalit was chosen by Steven Spielberg out of 12,000 directors, as one of 18 Finalists for the Fox/DreamWorks TV show, "On The Lot.” While on the show, Shira-Lee wrote and directed 3 films: Check Out, Beeline and Open House, to critical acclaim from the judges: Garry Marshall, Carrie Fisher, David Frankel and Brett Ratner.
Her feature film debut, A-List, a comedy starring Academy Award Nominee Sally Kirkland (Anna, JFK), Renee Taylor (The Nanny) and Daphne Zuniga (Melrose Place) won the Audience Award at the Milan International Film Festival, the Gold Remy Award for Best Comedy at Worldfest Film Festival, and was an IFP Project Involve Awardee. Her first short film, Full Cycle, that she wrote and directed, was named a Regional Finalist in the Student Academy Awards.
Born in South Africa and raised in Texas, Shira-Lee directed the award-wining short, Open Air, starring Lynn Cohen (Munich, The Hunger Games.) It won Best Short Film at the New Jersey International Film Festival and Acefest, The Silver Award at the Mexico International Film Festival, Award Of Excellence at Accolades Film Awards, and screened at 45 film festivals.
Shira-Lee was made a member of the Directors Unit at the Actors Studio led by Academy Award winner, Estelle Parsons. She recently directed Nick and Zoe - a new play by Daniel Talbott (@IRT Theatre), Girls Will Be Girls (NY International Fringe Festival - winner Fringe Favorite), Fault Lines by Stephen Belber (TBG Theatre) -and has directed many plays, workshops and staged readings for LAByrinth Theater Company, Cherry Lane Theatre, Barefoot Theatre Company, EST, Nylon Fusion, Dixon Place, Vertigo Theater, The Lark, Jewish Plays Project, NYMadness, Thespis Theatre Festival, and the Writers Guild East Screenplay Series etc.
Shira-Lee was awarded the prestigious Presidential Scholar of the Arts Award at the White House, and won the National Foundation Young Arts Award in Acting. She is a graduate of NYU (BFA) and Columbia University (MFA).
Proud member of Rising Phoenix Rep, The Actors Studio Playwrights/Directors Unit and NY Women in Film & TV, Shira-Lee is on faculty at Columbia University's Graduate Film Division and NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
Her feature film debut, A-List, a comedy starring Academy Award Nominee Sally Kirkland (Anna, JFK), Renee Taylor (The Nanny) and Daphne Zuniga (Melrose Place) won the Audience Award at the Milan International Film Festival, the Gold Remy Award for Best Comedy at Worldfest Film Festival, and was an IFP Project Involve Awardee. Her first short film, Full Cycle, that she wrote and directed, was named a Regional Finalist in the Student Academy Awards.
Born in South Africa and raised in Texas, Shira-Lee directed the award-wining short, Open Air, starring Lynn Cohen (Munich, The Hunger Games.) It won Best Short Film at the New Jersey International Film Festival and Acefest, The Silver Award at the Mexico International Film Festival, Award Of Excellence at Accolades Film Awards, and screened at 45 film festivals.
Shira-Lee was made a member of the Directors Unit at the Actors Studio led by Academy Award winner, Estelle Parsons. She recently directed Nick and Zoe - a new play by Daniel Talbott (@IRT Theatre), Girls Will Be Girls (NY International Fringe Festival - winner Fringe Favorite), Fault Lines by Stephen Belber (TBG Theatre) -and has directed many plays, workshops and staged readings for LAByrinth Theater Company, Cherry Lane Theatre, Barefoot Theatre Company, EST, Nylon Fusion, Dixon Place, Vertigo Theater, The Lark, Jewish Plays Project, NYMadness, Thespis Theatre Festival, and the Writers Guild East Screenplay Series etc.
Shira-Lee was awarded the prestigious Presidential Scholar of the Arts Award at the White House, and won the National Foundation Young Arts Award in Acting. She is a graduate of NYU (BFA) and Columbia University (MFA).
Proud member of Rising Phoenix Rep, The Actors Studio Playwrights/Directors Unit and NY Women in Film & TV, Shira-Lee is on faculty at Columbia University's Graduate Film Division and NYU Tisch School of the Arts.