Life & Work with Shamim Shoomali of Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shamim Shoomali.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up dreaming of being a director. Was it a movie director? I wasn’t quite sure; I just knew I needed to direct.

During my bachelor’s degree in Visual Communication, I felt I had found my calling as an art director. Later, during my master’s program in Animation, I realized that this was the right time for me to become an animation director. Eventually, while pursuing my PhD in Digital Media, I decided to focus on becoming a research director.

Now I understand that every time I feel a strong urge to create something and give it form, I crave directing, regardless of the label attached to it.

And today, I direct a career built on research, film, and design.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I believe every era comes with its own internal and external obstacles. For me, as an interdisciplinary person working in the creative field, the challenges arise from dividing my attention among different projects and concerns.

The other particular obstacle, in my opinion, is the ethics of AI; we live in a crucial time when the world has encountered a new, powerful tool, and, like any other tool, its use should be guided by instruction.

I believe AI, like many other great tools, is a perfect tool to enhance life, provided we understand its boundaries and establish proper regulations for its usage.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
When the sun is out, I am a PhD candidate in Digital Media, focusing on creating interactive installations that introduce playfulness and conversation into our daily lives. I also study creativity, play, and brain cognition to better understand their correlations.

At night, I work as an indie animation filmmaker, transforming my personal experiences, daily observations, and encounters into animated films infused with humor and a touch of the weird.

My latest animated film, “Paw and Scissors,” has been showcased at nearly 40 prestigious international festivals, where it has won numerous awards. Notably, it received the Best Overall Short Film award from the AMSC Trailblazer at Atlanta Metropolitan College and was honored as the Best Film of the Festival at the Atlanta Technical College Film Festival. Additionally, it was a finalist at the Lapma Film Festival, which is supported by the United Nations to encourage discussions about human rights. The film also won the Best Press Mentioned Film award at Venaria in Corto in Italy, a festival organized by the Venaria Municipality.

In my films, I emphasize the importance of community and the details of everyday life. My style primarily involves hand-drawn 2D animation, which I create on paper before digitizing it. I believe that translating what we see into a visual language is a deeply humanistic act, one that is best expressed through the artist’s physical presence and craftsmanship.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
As I grew up, I always had a strong desire to create. My imagination was a boundless playground, and I found myself constantly thinking of new ideas and projects that sparked my curiosity. While I often acted as the mischievous one, causing what some might call chaos, I saw my actions as experiments. Each little adventure was an opportunity to learn, to test boundaries, and to push the limits of my creativity. I believed that every moment of play, every messy project, and every unexpected result had value. This playful spirit drove me to explore different mediums, whether it was building makeshift structures from household items or concocting colorful mixtures in the kitchen. In my eyes, the world was a canvas, and I was determined to leave my mark.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://shamimshoomali.wixsite.com/shamimsjourney
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shamim-shoomali/

Image Credits
Image Credits:
– Cover Image: Steven Gagliano, Joya Chapman (© 2025) – Georgia Tech
– Photo by Jessica Imhotep (© 2025) – Trailblazer Short Film Festival at Atlanta Metropolitan State College
– Lampa International Film Festival (© 2025)