Shirley Thompson is a highly accomplished documentary producer, writer, and editor, with a passion for storytelling that has led to the creation of numerous impactful films.
Throughout her illustrious career, Shirley has edited and/or produced a wide range of documentaries, including Promesa (2024),Baseball Behind Barbed Wire (2023),The Last Rodeo (2022),Savvy (2020),Finding Kukan (2016),Winning Girl (2014),Pidgin: the Voice of Hawaii (2008),Special Circumstances (2006),Surfing for Life (2000),and It's Elementary (1996).
Many of these films have received significant funding from esteemed organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and have gone on to garner major awards, screen at film festivals worldwide, and be broadcast nationally on public television.
In addition to her work on individual documentaries, Shirley co-produced Reel Wahine of Hawaii, a series of short films showcasing top women filmmakers in the industry. She also directed six of the 30 films in the series, which featured a diverse range of talented women, including producer/director Alison Week, cinematographer Shaneika Aguilar, director Zoe Eisenberg, producer Heather Giugni, camerawoman Victoria Keith, and producer Myrna Kamae.
The Reel Wahine of Hawaii series was produced in collaboration with Hawaii Women in Filmmaking and was honored with a Northern California Emmy Award.
Born and raised in New Orleans, Shirley has lived and worked in San Francisco, Dallas, and Honolulu, Hawaii, where she has been based since 2010. She is a proud member of the New Day Films collective, which she joined in 1993.
As a Latina and the daughter of immigrants, Shirley is deeply committed to creating films that build bridges across cultures and communities, and she continues to use her talents to tell stories that inspire and educate audiences around the world.
