Meeshelle Neal

Meeshelle ‘Meesh’ Neal has been involved in making films for over ten years. She is an award-winning queer Canadian filmmaker best known for directing Sweet Release, Check, Ladies Don’t Wear Slacks, and Where Everyone Lives, as well as writing, producing, and acting in the short films Mental & Therapy. She is currently nominated for Best North American Movie Director and Best Female Filmmaker for her work on Sweet Release at the upcoming Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival.

Following on the heels of a concept short she shot under the same title, Meeshelle is in development on her first feature film Sweet Release. This full-length magical realism story is being brought to life with the help of the 2019 WIDC CBC Films Talent Development Award. The script has received funding and was shortlisted for the Sundance Development Track.

She adapted her short film Mental to the screen from a one-woman stage play. The film received BravoFACT funding as well as multiple awards, international recognition, and earned her a WIFTV Spotlight Image Award.

Meeshelle is proud to have served a full term on the board for Women in Film & Television Vancouver and to have been one of the mentors in Cinevic’s inaugural training program The Incubators. She has sat on many jury’s including the WIDC Feature Film Award, East Van Monologue Match, & CINESPARK Script Competition. She is often hired to write for film & TV, story edit, career consult, and/or as a pitch coach.

She is mentored by well-respected director / producer Gary Harvey and is grateful to have apprenticed with him on two projects: Welcome To Christmas (Hallmark) & Tiny Pretty Things (Netflix).

As part of her professional development, Meeshelle participated in workshops such as the: STORYHIVE Career Accelerator Program, Women In the Director’s Chair (WIDC) Career Advancement Module, and the immersive Story and Leadership program.

In addition to working in film, Meeshelle is an author and (to date) has published two novellas in her series Betwixt. She enjoys telling heightened reality stories that remain grounded in the nuanced complexity of human emotions.