Shahad Ameen (Arabic: شهد أمين) is a Saudi filmmaker best known for directing the 2019 film Scales.
Early life and education Ameen was born and raised in Jeddah. She attended the University of West London and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Video Production and Film Studies. In 2012, she participated in the screenwriting conservatory at the New York Film Academy.
Career Ameen's first short film, Our Own Musical, was released in 2009. Leila's Window, her 2011 short film about a young girl's alienation from her family, screened at the Gulf Film Festival and the Saudi Film festival.
In 2013, Ameen's short film Eye & Mermaid debuted at the Dubai International Film Festival. Telling the story of a girl who learns the pearls her father brings their family have been taken from mermaids, the short also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and was recognized with the Best Cinematography award at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival.
After completing the script for Eye & Mermaid, Ameen began work on her first feature-length project, also about mermaids. The resulting film, Scales, premiered at the International Critic's Week portion of the 76th Venice International Film Festival in 2019.
In May 2024, Variety reported that Ameen's second feature film, Hijra, was in production after years of development. Hijra world-premiered at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival's Venice Spotlight section in August 2025.
Filmography Year Title Notes Ref. 2009 Our Own Musical Short film 2011 Leila's Window Short film 2013 Eye & Mermaid Short film 2019 Scales Feature film 2025 Hijra Feature film
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref. 2014 Abu Dhabi Film Festival Best Cinematography Eye & Mermaid Emirates Film Competition Short Narrative Competition 2019 Venice Film Festival International Critics' Week Scales Verona Film Club Award BFI London Film Festival Best First Feature Carthage Film Festival Official Competition Narrative Feature Film Singapore International Film Festival Best Asian Feature Film 2020 Taipei Film Festival International New Talent Competition Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival Best Feature Film
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