KHUSHNUDA SHUKURI
Director. Editor
KHUSHNUDA SHUKURI
Khushnuda Shukuri (born Khushnuda Shukurova) is a New York–based director and editor, working in both documentary and fiction film. Originally from Tajikistan, she has been living and working in the United States since 2007. Over the years, she has directed and edited award-winning films that have screened at multiple Oscar-qualifying film festivals, are available on popular streaming platforms (Apple TV, Amazon Prime), and have aired on television (BBC Persia, PBS Montana). Her most recent directorial success, Detained, won six Best Director awards and broke barriers in decentralized filmmaking, having been funded through blockchain technology. Shukuri edited an award-winning documentary pilot for the mini-series Bitter River, a story about the devastating effects of environmental disasters in Brazil. Most recently, she edited two episodes of the historical documentary series Four Died Trying, which explores the lives and legacies of four influential American figures of the 1960s. In 2024, she also served as the Feature Documentary Programmer for the Anchorage International Film Festival in Alaska. She holds a Master of Arts in Media Studies from The New School and a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts: Radio and Television from the School of Journalism at The University of Montana.
AWARDS
Best Female Director 2022: London Directors Awards
Best Female Director 2019: Mint International Film Festival
Best Female Director 2020: Anatolia International Film Festival
Best Female Director2020: New York Istanbul Short Film Festival
Best Women’s Film 2021: Beyond the Curve International Film Festival
Best Female Director 2021: New York TriState International Film Festival
Social Issue Category Winner 2nd Place 2020: NYWIFT Film Festival
Underrepresented Filmmaker and Official Selection 2020: AT&T Film Awards
Women Film Critics Circle Award, Special Jury Mention 2020: SR Socially Relevant Film Festival New York
Photos by Alice Prenat
WORK SAMPLES
DETAINED
Director
DETAINED is a short film about two Syrian siblings who receive official legal documents to permanently join their father in the United States. However, when the airplane lands in JFK, they are taken into custody for interrogation during the first executive order barring seven major Muslim countries from entering the United States.
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Beyond the Curve International Film Festival (in France)-Award Winner Best Women’s Film, New York Istanbul Short Film Festival-Award Winner Best Female Director, İstanbul Golden Film Festival, Golden Bridge İstanbul Short Film Festival, Lighthouse International Film Festival, Female Voices Rock Film Festival, New Media Film Festival, Anatolia International Film Festival-Award Winner Best Female Director, Sedona International Film Festival, Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival (Oscar Qualifier)-Semi Finalist, Athens International Film and Video Festival (Oscar Qualifier), Julien Dubuque International Film Festival, SR Socially Relevant Film Festival New York-Award Winner Women Film Critics Circle Award, Special Jury Mention 2020, Mint International Film Festival-Award Winner Best Female Director 2019, Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series (Oscar Qualifier) 2019, FESTIVAL ANGAELICA 2019, NewFilmmakers NY 2019, Woodstock Film Festival 2019, NYWIFT Film Festival- Award Winner Social Issue Category Winner 2nd Place, AT&T Film Awards -Award Winner Underrepresented Filmmaker, New York No Limits Film Festival, Dhaka International Short and Independent Film Festival, The Micheaux Film Festival, Streamed on iWoman.TV January 2021, Screened at the Oscar Qualifying Bermuda International Film Festival
Love Life Regardless
Director / Editor
A documentary film about Nadira Davlatova, a widow and a mother of eight from a remote village in southern Tajikistan. Nadira was in her late thirties when her husband died from a heart attack. Nadira remains to this day a widow and dedicates her life to raising and supporting her large family alone. She owns two acres of land where she grows wheat to feed her family. The film follows her busy life during the harvest season. Nadira's success during the harvest comes at an opportune time for her family. With the funds she makes from half of her sales she can afford to marry off one of her sons.
Aired on BBC Persia
ANTARCTICA
Editor
Life-long friends Kat and Janet see everything flipped upside down as they hit senior year. Shy Kat is now popular, hooking up at parties, while misfit Janet is put on strange medication for her “bad behavior.” Things get even odder when Janet meets a cute boy who might be a time traveler, and Kat’s panicked parents send her off to sex rehab. Can anything make life in the suburbs normal again?
Antarctica is available on Breaker, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Dish, Youtube, Spectrum, and more!
GENERATION IRON: NATTY 4 LIFE
Editor
Generation Iron: Natty 4 Life explores the inner workings of professional natural bodybuilding in attempt to expose the truth behind the all-natural claim of the sport.
Bitter River
Co-Director / Editor
BITTER RIVER explores one of Brazil's worst environmental disasters: 2015's deadly Mariana Dam rupture. Owned and operated by some of the world's largest mining firms, this iron ore tailings dam failed due to continued overfilling, flaunting warnings from engineers. The nearby town of Bento Rodrigues was flooded and 19 people were killed as toxic mud and runoff continued their spread through the state of Minas Gerais and into the Atlantic ocean. Through victim testimonials and first-hand accounts, BITTER RIVER tracks the loss of life, land, and livelihood in the aftermath of tragedy. November 5, 2021 will mark 6 years since the disaster.
Take care of Maya
Assistant Editor
Take Care of Maya: A nightmare unfolds for Jack and Beata Kowalski after they bring their 10-year-old daughter to the ER with unusual symptoms.
Four Died Trying
Editor
Four Died Trying is a feature documentary series that explores the extraordinary lives and calamitous deaths of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert Kennedy, the Reverend Dr. MArtin Luther King, JR., and Malcom X.
