Writer/Director, Woodside

Gerard Shaka is a Bahamian-American filmmaker and actor based in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Driven by his desire to create stories that depict beautiful black and queer life, Shaka’s work centers on characters with dark and tumultuous pasts who question ideologies and structures within their societies. He also draws huge inspiration from video games and music. He’s an avid fantasy reader and is currently working on an epic fantasy manuscript. After teaching middle school, Gerard received his MFA in Screenwriting from Florida State University. His teaching career also extended to both Florida Atlantic and Winthrop University. He’s a 2022 Alfred P. Sloan Student Discovery Prize winner, a 2022 Outfest Screenwriting Lab Notable Writer, a 2024 Del Shores Foundation Writers Search Winner and 2024 GLAAD List Writer for his feature screenplay, “Woodside.” He’s in his first festival run for “Tri-County,” his proof-of-concept pilot, whose script was a semi-finalist in the 2025 Disney Writing Program.