Shandra L. McDonald is an award-winning screenwriter, director, and producer with over 30 years of experience working across film and television. Her work has been recognized at numerous top-tier film festivals and by leading industry organizations, including the Directors Guild of America, South by Southwest (SXSW), the American Black Film Festival, the Atlanta Film Festival, the IFP Film Festival, the Hollywood Black Film Festival, the Showtime Black Filmmakers Showcase, AFI, the Bronzelens Film Festival, and the 48-Hour Film Festival. Across formats and genres, her storytelling is grounded in character-driven narratives that explore identity, resilience, and human connection.

Throughout her career, Shandra has written, directed, and produced original content that has aired on major networks including Showtime, CBS, BET, NBC, Oxygen, TV One, TLC, the Discovery Channel, Aspire/UP TV, the Fine Living Network, and Turner Networks. She has also created award-winning short and feature films that have screened widely at venues such as the British Film Institute, the Cannes Film Market, and the FESPACO Film Festival in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Her films continue to reach wide audiences through distribution on streaming platforms, including Amazon Prime and Tubi, as well as through airline exhibition.

Shandra has been hired to write, direct, and produce numerous projects, earning multiple awards for her storytelling and direction. Her work is known for its emotional precision, visual clarity, and deep attention to character psychology, often centering voices and experiences that are underrepresented on screen.

Her current short film, Yasodhara, is screening at national and international film festivals and has received multiple Best Short Film awards. She also directed I’m Fine, which earned her the Best Director Award from Women in Film and Television/Atlanta in 2024.

In addition to her creative work, Shandra is a dedicated educator and mentor with over 20 years of experience teaching undergraduate students in screenwriting, producing, and directing. Throughout her academic career, she has guided students from the classroom to the completion of award-wining films, emphasizing rigorous craft, collaboration, and professional readiness.

Shandra currently teaches Graduate students in the MFA Program at the University of Georgia, where she mentors thesis filmmakers through the writing, directing, and producing of their final films. She also serves as chair of student thesis projects that have screened and received awards at festivals. She is proud to be part of the university’s rapidly growing MFA program, which, within five years, has been ranked among the top 50 film MFA programs in the country.