Shirley Thompson

A seasoned documentary producer, writer and editor, and a passionate storyteller, Shirley Thompson is best known for the documentaries she has edited and/or produced, including The Last Rodeo (2022), Embers of Awakening (2021), Savvy (2020), Finding Kukan (2016), Ku Kanaka: Stand Tall (2016), Winning Girl (2014), Pidgin: the Voice of Hawaii (2008), Special Circumstances (2006), Surfing for Life (2000) & It's Elementary (1996). Many of the films she has worked on have received major funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting National Multicultural Alliance. These films have garnered major awards, have screened at film festivals around the world and have broadcast nationally on public television. She co-produces Reel Wahine of Hawaii, a series of short films portraying top women filmmakers. She directed four of the 18 films, featuring director Zoe Eisenberg, producer Heather Giugni, camerawoman Victoria Keith and producer Myrna Kamae. The series is produced in collaboration with Hawaii Women in Filmmaking. A New Orleans native who lived and worked in San Francisco and Dallas, she is based in Honolulu, Hawaii since 2010. Shirley is a member/owner of the New Day Films collective since 1993. As a Latina and a daughter of immigrants, she is committed to filmmaking that builds bridges across cultures and communities.