Check Out Shaira Berg’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shaira Berg.

Hi Shaira, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m a filmmaker and neuroscientist with a PhD in Psychology from the University of Cambridge, which I completed in collaboration with the multi-BAFTA award-winning video game studio Ninja Theory. I blend neuroscience and cinema by designing storyline-based immersive experiments based on highly validated procedures in behavioral neuroscience and cognitive psychology. During my PhD, my debut play, ‘Gaslight’, was nominated for an Off-West End Award and was later adapted into a UK Film Award-winning film. Since then, things have snowballed, and I’ve gone full force into producing and making films alongside my academic career!

I grew up acting in the film and theatre industry, and it’s been really cool being able to bring both worlds together. During my PhD, I was lucky enough to occasionally trade the library for industry events and film premieres, which definitely made me feel like I was living a double life! In 2025, just days after defending my PhD, I attended the Cannes Film Festival for the first time, which felt like a particularly surreal full-circle moment. It’s really crazy realizing that I’m living the life I dreamed about as a child.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
My path absolutely hasn’t been smooth, and I feel like most meaningful paths rarely are. I got into playwriting by trying to find a creative outlet for a traumatic experience I went through during my PhD. It felt like the most meaningful way to understand my own experiences and, in that attempt, to also help others feel seen when going through the same sort of thing. Little did I know that writing ‘Gaslight’ and performing it in the summer of 2023 would completely reshape the trajectory of my career, but I’m so glad it did. I think I was always meant to tell stories, and that one just happened to be the right one to tell first.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
All of my films have a psychological basis and are rooted in truthful representations of complex psychological phenomena. I’m particularly drawn to psychological horror, and I think there’s an interesting reason for that. Throughout history, women’s stories have often been silenced or belittled, or women have been gaslit into thinking nothing is wrong when something clearly is. Female-centred horror is a great way to explore the truth behind these experiences and give power back to the characters who are battling their way to being heard and understood.

I recently premiered my directorial debut, ‘Habits’, in Austin, Texas, and was nominated for both Best Horror and Best Local Film at Austin Film Series’ Austin ShortsFest. It’s a psychological horror that explores OCD from a perspective rooted in both lived experience and my research. I’m currently in pre-production on two more films: ‘Girlfriend Material’ as producer and production designer, and ‘Sugar Rush’ as writer and director. I was also recently a consulting producer on Natalie Tran’s film ‘Passion Project’, produced by Lailah Licón and Samuel Mawson, which we had a private screening for this week! Both ‘Gaslight’ and ‘Habits’ are also in development as feature-length films.

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
The most important thing to me is telling truthful stories that make people feel seen and heard. That’s the most powerful thing you can do as a storyteller. Plus, storytelling is one of the most ancient tools we have, so using it as part of my toolkit as a neuroscientist feels like a natural extension of how we can better understand human behavior!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.shairaberg.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shairaberg
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shairaberg
• Twitter: https://x.com/shairaberg

Image Credits
Photography by Patrick McWilliams