Shatara Michelle Ford is an American director, writer, and producer. Their feature film directorial debut Test Pattern (2019) received critical acclaim.
Career Ford gained prominence in 2019 for Test Pattern, their feature film directorial debut. The story follows Renesha and Evan, a young interracial couple seeking medical care after Renesha is sexually assaulted by a stranger. Ford also wrote and produced the film. Test Pattern debuted in August 2019 at the BlackStar Film Festival, where it received the Lionsgate/STARZ Producer Award. Additional accolades were awarded at the New Orleans Film Festival and the deadCENTER Film Festival.
Their forthcoming coming-of-age film, Queen Elizabeth, was named to the 2017 Black List. It is in development as of 2021.
In 2024, Ford directed, wrote, and produced Dreams in Nightmares following three friends roadtripping across the Midwestern United States in search of their friend who has disappeared off the grid.
They cited German Expressionism and Alfred Hitchcock as key influences.
Personal life Ford was raised in St. Louis, Missouri. Ford uses they/them pronouns. Ford has an MFA in screenwriting from Royal Holloway, University of London and a BA in political studies and sociology from Pitzer College.
Awards and nominations YearAwardCategoryWorkResult2019BlackStar Film FestivalLionsgate/STARZ Producer AwardTest PatternNew Orleans Film FestivalBest Narrative Feature2020DeadCENTER Film FestivalSpecial Jury Prize2021Gotham AwardsBest FeatureBingham Ray Breakthrough Director AwardLos Angeles Film Critics Circle AwardsNew Generation Prize San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics CircleSpecial Citation for Independent Cinema Women Film Critics Circle AwardsJosephine Baker Award2022Austin Film Critics AssociationSpecial Honorary AwardBlack Reel AwardsOutstanding Independent FilmIndependent Spirit AwardsBest First FeatureBest First ScreenplayNAACP Image AwardsOutstanding Independent Motion Picture
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