Shatara Michelle Ford

Shatara Michelle Ford is an American director, writer, and producer. Their feature film directorial debut Test Pattern 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.

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.