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About
Shekhar Bassi is a UK based disabled screenwriter/filmmaker. Inspired by Akira Kurosawa at age 8, Shekhar mutated into a film geek thereafter and aspires to make feature films that travel the globe. He co-creates with his brother, Shalinder Bassi. Despite Shekhar's physical disability, which affects his mobility, there is no loss or impairment in his creative abilities.
Shalinder is a UK based screenwriter/producer. Musically gifted yet cinema obsessed creative, Shalinder believes good story-telling lives in good writing; good producing lives in a good team of collaborators.
The Bassi Brothers made a creative transition to being behind the camera in 1998 and have produced and unproduced screenplay credits to their names. The Brothers were commissioned to write their first professional screenplay in 1999 for the big screen. Based on a short story by Rabindranath Tagore, ‘KABULIWALLA’ was a Pandora/Anglo-American co-production. During this time Shekhar and Shalinder came to meet their friend and mentor, the Australian filmmaker Rolf De Heer.
In 2001, the Bassi Brothers co-wrote the screenplay ‘Winter of Love’ with director Shakila Maan. In 2003, writing ventures continued with scribing three shorts and another aspiring Anglo-Spanish feature ‘Almodovar Screwed Up Love’. During this time we also began developing the feature, 'Sista’ which was to be Shekhar's first directorial debut and funding continues to be sought.
In 2006 co-wrote ‘The Boy And The Sea’ with Tomas Donela. In the same year Shekhar and Shalinder started a co-production with Tomas on a feature documentary ‘MAESTRO: IN BLACK AND WHITE’.
2006 saw Shekhar take on his first directorial role. He co-wrote and directed he short, ‘THE FAIRY WHO STOLE EYES’. The short went on to be screened in competition at several festivals and won the 2007 Gold Remi for Best short at the Huston WorldFest. 2007-2008 also saw Shekhar and Shalinder accepted as one of the participants on Arista Scribes 2.
After an unplanned four year hiatus, for personal reasons, in August 2012 the Brothers, wrote and completed a 9 minute, no budget, ONE SHOT short film 'FAUX DÉPART' with Shekhar directing. The short went on to win the Best One Shot Movie of 2012 award. Shekhar and Shalinder partnered up with Theatre Producer Gemma Lloyd and Prime Focus to develop the short film 'NO LOVE LOST', written by the Brothers, directed by Shekhar in 2013.
In 2012, Shekhar was one of five winning filmmakers, worldwide, in the Bombay Sapphire Imagination series competition for his short film script 'THE MRS.' The short went on to be directed by LA based Matt Smukler.
In July 2013, Shekhar was nominated for the 'Satyajit Ray Short Film Award' for the short Faux Départ. Continuing to write and direct, 2013 saw completion of the narrative fiction short film 'NO LOVE LOST' followed by the musical short- short 'I-CITY GIRL'.
Finishing its film festival run in 2016, 'NO LOVE LOST' had screened at 120 plus festivals picking up more than 38 awards and several nominations.
The Bassi Brothers picked up the Grand Prize for Best Feature Film Treatment, at the New York Screenplay Festival 2016/2017, for their planned feature film 'Caterpillar'.
They were one of five finalists, in the short screenplay section, of the Bluecat Screenplay Competition 2018, with their comedy short screenplay 'Absolute Beginner'.
Recently, Shalinder has taken a step back from screenwriting but not the creative process. While he focuses on the production side, Shekhar continues working as a screenwriter and filmmaker.
ScreenSkills Training Passport
Shekhar Bassi has completed the following modules within the ScreenSkills Training Passport.
Education and training
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ScreenSkills Training Passport
ScreenSkills Funded
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Tackling harassment and bullying at work
ScreenSkills Funded
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Safeguarding for all: basic awareness for the screen industries
ScreenSkills Funded
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Step Up to first time feature filmmaking for disabled directors and producers
ScreenSkills Funded
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TripleC DANC mentoring programme for deaf, disabled and neurodivergent writers and directors
ScreenSkills Funded
Certificates
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ScreenSkills Training Passport
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Tackling harassment and bullying at work
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Safeguarding for all: basic awareness for the screen industries