Spotlight.
Shanine Gallagher
INTRODUCTION
Shanine Gallagher (she/her) is a Scottish-Filipino documentary filmmaker and trainee camera assistant from the Scottish Highlands, based in Glasgow. Her projects are centred around lived experiences, human relationships and inclusive communities. Her work is influenced by her rural upbringing and the exploration of belonging which has become a key theme and a source of investigation throughout her practice.
INTERVIEW
How did you get into your creative practice? What initially inspired you?
I've always been drawn to storytelling, but for me it started through song writing. I often found it difficult to express my thoughts or share my perspective, but writing gave me a way to say things I couldn't always articulate otherwise. It was through exploring the visual side of music that I found my way into filmmaking. I became fascinated by the process of bringing an idea to life and how different creative voices can come together to make that happen. Seeing stories transformed into something visual made me realise how powerful film can be as a storytelling medium. In many ways, I felt more myself making films than I ever had making music. As I began making documentaries, I found myself returning to personal experiences as a starting point for exploring wider social and cultural themes. I became interested in how film can preserve memory (I’ve been working with archival material recently), explore identity, and deepen our connection to people and place. That curiosity has shaped my work and it's what continues to inspire me as a filmmaker.
What themes do you tend to interrogate in your creative practices?
A lot of my work explores questions of identity, memory, belonging, and our relationship to place. I'm interested in how personal stories can open up wider conversations about culture, community, and home, particularly through the lens of documentary.
What is your favourite project you’ve ever worked on and why?
It's difficult to choose one, but Passing Place, a short film made in collaboration with the BBC's Make Film History project, remains especially meaningful to me. The film explores both the social and physical distance of life in a remote Highland community, and how that distance often compels young people to leave in search of opportunities elsewhere. It combines footage from the BBC archive The Smallest School in Britain (1974) with material I filmed using my dad’s old VHS camera, which I found alongside family tapes from my childhood. Revisiting the places I grew up through that camera became a way of reflecting on memory, belonging, and my own relationship with the Highlands.
Throughout the film, I speak about how these landscapes acted as a physical memory for me, reminding me of my own attachment to the Highlands and why I had to leave for the city to find opportunities when I was seventeen. The project was entirely unfunded, so I filmed and edited it myself incorporating the inspiring archival material shot in the 70s that helped shape this idea and made me reflect on my own experiences. This project taught me that meaningful work doesn't always depend on budgets or external support. It gave me the confidence to work independently, and push myself creatively.
What advice would you have for creatives of colour looking to get into your creative practices?
Don't be afraid to chase the idea that keeps returning to you, even if it feels intimidating. Some of the most rewarding experiences I've had have come from taking a chance on something I wasn't completely sure about. You'll learn so much more by making the work than by waiting for the perfect moment to come around. I'd also encourage people to ask questions. Most creatives are generous with their knowledge and happy to help where they can. Sharing your ideas with others and being open to collaboration can transform a project in unexpected ways. Different perspectives can challenge your thinking, enrich your work, and remind you that you don't have to navigate the creative process alone!
What are you currently working on?
I'm currently working on a self-funded short documentary about travelling to the Philippines to meet my family there for the first time. Although I've always wanted to better understand my Filipino heritage, I've spent much of my life feeling disconnected from that part of my identity. Making this journey has been a lifelong ambition, but choosing to self-shoot the entire film has presented an equally significant challenge. It's pushed me well beyond my comfort zone, both technically and creatively, and has become a project about reconnecting with my roots as much as it is about developing my voice as a filmmaker.