Shannon Silva is a multi-modal filmmaker and Film Studies Professor at UNC Wilmington.
Her work, which explores identity and social justice, has screened internationally. Notable films include It’s A Girl Thing (Best Social Documentary, Philadelphia Independent Film Festival) and Baby Oil (NC Arts Council Fellowship). Her recent film, To Live and Die in the Shadows: Meditations on Ferns, Survival, and Horizontal Gene Transfer, won Best Environmental & Climate Short at the Mannheim Arts Film Festival.
She is a recipient of the prestigious North Carolina Arts Council Fellow (2016) and was awarded a competitive Charles L. Cahill grant (2018).
She is currently developing Burn, an experimental essay film that examines the intersection of disability, migration and climate change. She is the co-founder of the Expanded Environmentalism initiative.
Silva previous served as Executive Director for Visions Film Festival & Conference, Marketing Manager for KMFA 89.5 and Membership Coordinator for Austin Cinemaker Co-op.