About

Shimmy Ahmed is a British director, photographer and DJ, a storyteller whose first language is rhythm…

…Long before "multi-hyphenate" became an industry buzzword, she was moving instinctively between film, photography and music, each discipline sharpening the next. Whether she's directing a comedy commercial, shooting portraits or building a dancefloor, she's chasing the same thing: the feeling.

It started early. A film extra at seven. An intern at Kiss 100 by fifteen, absorbing everything she could from George Ergatoudis, David Rodigan, June Sarpong and Mary Anne Hobbs. By her early twenties she was developing and directing late-night underground music television at Sky, championing emerging artists and commissioning DJs like Bonobo before they became household names. Around the same time she co-founded iLike..., a club night born from the simple frustration of never seeing women like herself behind the decks. It became a launchpad, not just for her own DJ career, but for creating the kind of space she wished had existed.

Music taught Shimmy to trust instinct. Touring the world documenting Nitzer Ebb, then leading video at ELLE UK as Multimedia Editor, she developed an editorial eye that would define her filmmaking: intimate, culturally tuned-in and always performance-led. She went on to produce music videos for artists including FKA twigs, Jessie Ware, Blood Orange/Skepta and Disclosure the video that launched Sam Smith - before teaching herself to shoot, becoming the rare director equally comfortable framing stills and moving image.

Today, that instinct runs through everything she makes. Comedy-led campaigns for TENA, Sloggi and Caffè Nero. Editorial and out-of-home work for Remitly. Music documentaries for Red Bull and Vice - including producing the cult British Asian Sound-system film for Dazed/Channel 4 Music Nation series - Executive Produced by Riz Ahmed Portraits published internationally. A monthly radio show. International DJ sets.

The tools change. The job never does.

Shimmy’s work is funny without trying too hard, stylish without showing off, and always rooted in real human behaviour. She isn't interested in making things look good. She's interested in making people feel something.