Zhannat Alshanova

Zhannat Alshanova is a London-based writer/director from Kazakhstan, drawn to stories of people in flux - caught between cultures, identities, and shifting narratives. Her work blends raw emotion (...) with dry absurdity, capturing the quiet, often surreal moments when personal reinvention becomes inevitable Her short films have screened at top-tier festivals including Cannes Cinéfondation (End of Season), Sundance (Paola Makes a Wish), and TIFF (History of Civilisation), which won Locarno’s Silver Leopard. Zhannat's debut feature, Becoming (France/Kazakhstan/Lithuania/Netherlands/Sweden), will have its World Premiere at the Locarno Film Festival, Cineasti del Presente section. Her second feature, Etc., her first English-language project with Film4 (UK), was selected for TIFF Writers’ Studio 2024 and awarded a CHANEL fellowship. Zhannat is an alumna of Berlinale Talents, TIFF Filmmakers Lab, and Locarno’s Directing Workshop (mentored by Béla Tarr). She holds an MA from London Film School and is a member of BAFTA Connect and Directors UK. She also runs Accidental Films, an independent company focused on emotionally driven, visually bold cinema.​​