Sheida Sheikhha is a Prague-based Iranian writer/director with a background in Architecture, an MA in Film Studies from Tehran University, and an MFA in Directing Fiction from FAMU. Her FAMU graduation film, “Please Rise”, featuring Cannes winner Zar Amir Ebrahimi, premiered at EnergaCAMERIMAGE 2023. Since graduating, Sheida has been teaching filmmaking and screenwriting at FAMU, mentoring over 50 student short films. In 2024, she won the International Project Spark competition and received funding for “Brighter Days”, a short sci-fi film which was part of the Live-Action International Competition at Short Shorts Festival & Asia 2025. Sheida is now developing her next short, “Empty House” (winner of HollyShorts’ ISA Award), which has received funding from the national Czech AudioVisual Fund, and is also working on her first feature, “Sana”, which has been selected for the 2026 Nostos Screenwriting Retreat.