MAHADI SHAWON
Los Angeles · Independent Cinema

MAHADI
SHAWON

Filmmaker · Director · Cinematographer
Golden Globe Foundation Fellow Society of Camera Operators GIFFI Award Winner
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Featured Reel

Work Reel

A selection of directing and cinematography work.

Watch on Vimeo
Mahadi Shawon — portrait
The Filmmaker

Stories that move people

Mahadi Shawon is a Los Angeles–based independent filmmaker, director and cinematographer — a Golden Globe Foundation Fellow and active member of the Society of Camera Operators. With over a decade behind the camera, his work bridges his South Asian heritage with contemporary Hollywood cinema.

He is the founder of S2S Productions LA LLC, a full-service production company behind international brand films, corporate documentaries and TVCs, and runs Direction for Camera (DFC), an initiative supporting Bangladeshi filmmakers and actors — alongside the Bangladesh Film Society of North America.

His short film The Night Train (2024) won Best Experimental Short at the Global Independent Film Festival of India. His narratives center critical social issues, diversity and the voices of marginalized communities — cinema with purpose.

Panavision Certified FAA Part 107 Drone Pilot DaVinci Resolve Colorist IATSE Local 192
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Years in Production
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Short Films Released
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Festival Selections
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Companies Founded
Selected Work

Films

From award-winning shorts to features in development — every frame intentional.

The Night Train — official poster
2024 · Short Film · Director / Writer

The Night Train

A film by Mahadi Shawon. Produced by Gazi Sabu & the Golden Globe Foundation. A production of S2S Productions LA LLC.

  • WINNER — Best Experimental Short, Foreign · GIFFI, 5th Year
  • Official Nomination — Ahmedabad International Film Festival 2026
  • Official Selection — Montecito Student Film Festival 2025
  • Official Selection — Lift-Off First-Time Filmmaker, Vol. 7 (2024)
  • Official Selection — Midnight Monster Club Short Film Festival 2026
Starring Lonnie Jones III · Maria Salinger · Jessica McCready · Paula Van
2023 · Short Film · Director / Writer

The Last Message

A supernatural drama that established Shawon's voice in atmospheric, emotionally charged storytelling. Tap play to watch the film.

In Development

Echoes of Mojave

Short film — a supernatural drama currently in development for the Vimeo Short Film Grant.

In Development

Little Bangladesh

Feature screenplay — a commercial drama about a Bangladeshi immigrant fighting to reclaim his daughter.

In Production · DP

The Prophet of San Francisco

Feature film in production in Los Angeles — Mahadi Shawon, Director of Photography.

Career

Experience

A decade across independent film, Hollywood studios and global brands.

Jun 2024 – Present

Creative Director

Downtown LA Law Group · Los Angeles, CA

Leads all visual content production, digital media strategy and branded content as in-house cinematographer and creative director.

Mar 2025

Director / Cinematographer

National VIP Centers Management LLC · New York, NY

Directed and lensed commercial video and premium branded content for a national management entity.

2023 – 2024

Production Assistant — Rotational Track

Universal Studios Hollywood · Netflix · Disney Studios · Film Independent

Rotational PA across premier Hollywood studios via the Disney PA Program 2024 and specialized Netflix workshop tracks — grip, electric, casting and physical production.

2014 – Present

Founder, Director & Producer

S2S Production LA LLC · Los Angeles & Bangladesh

Founded a full-service production company specializing in international brand films, corporate documentaries, TVCs and digital content. Clients include Hero Motocorp, Runner Motocorp, Forbo, Xcelerate Energy and BSEC.

2012 – 2014

Cinematographer

Bangladesh

Completed a rigorous two-year cinematography assistantship, mastering professional direction, blocking and large-scale production workflows.

Training

Education & Honors

Formally trained, fellowship-recognized, and continuously on set.

Fellowship · 2025

Golden Globe Foundation Fellowship

Awarded for exceptional creative work and academic performance in LACC’s Cinema/TV program, supporting emerging storytellers as they enter the professional world.

Golden Globe Foundation · Success Story The American Dream: From Bangladesh to Hollywood
Degree · Expected

BFA in Film Production

Los Angeles City College — Cinema Production Program, 2023–2025.

LACC Certificate of Achievement in Cinema Production, conferred on Mahadi Shawon, June 8, 2026
Certificate of Achievement — Cinema Production · Jun 8, 2026
Undergraduate · Completed

Film Studies

SEGi University, Malaysia — undergraduate studies in film, where the journey from Magura to Hollywood began.

Recognition

Television Academy Foundation

Selected as a finalist for the 2025 Fall Internship Program in Production Management.

Recognition

Script Matrix Spotlight

Semi-finalist, Student Filmmaker Spotlight II — three screenplays recognized in a competitive field of emerging writers.

Certifications

Craft Credentials

Panavision-certified · FAA Part 107 drone license · DaVinci Resolve certified colorist · Advanced cinematography lighting & rigging.

The Craft

Tools of the trade

Camera

Panavision DXL2 MillenniumARRISonyDJI DronesPhantom

Post-Production

DaVinci Resolve — Certified ColoristAvid Media ComposerAdobe Premiere ProFinal Cut ProPro Tools

Production

Grip & ElectricAdvanced Lighting DesignAdvanced RiggingBroadcast Coordination

Languages

English — FluentBengali — NativeHindi — Conversational
Memberships

Guilds & community

Society of Camera Operators

Active member · Inclusion Committee panelist

IATSE Local 192

Union member

Film Independent

Member

Directors Guild of Bangladesh

Member (DGBD)

World Photography Organization

Member

Founder — Direction for Camera

Mentorship & distribution visibility for underrepresented South Asian filmmakers

Behind the Scenes

On the craft

From the edit suite — click any still to view.

Mahadi Shawon's edit suite — DaVinci Resolve session with Director & Writer credit on screen
The Edit Suite · Director & Writer
The Night Train — official poster with festival laurels
The Night Train · Official Poster
LACC Cinema Production certificate
LACC · Cinema Production
In the Media

Press

Featured conversations and coverage.

Bold Journey — Meet Mahadi Shawon, September 2, 2026
Bold Journey Magazine

Meet Mahadi Shawon

September 2, 2026

An exclusive interview on his journey from a small town in Bangladesh to filmmaking in Los Angeles.

eMonthlyNews

Featured Profile

Feature coverage

Spotlighting Shawon's work as an independent filmmaker and his contributions to Bangladeshi cinema abroad.

Follow the Work

Connect

Every channel, one name — Mahadi Shawon.

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Business Inquiries

Let's make cinema

For production, directing and cinematography inquiries, reach out through any channel — or directly to the studio.

Studio
S2S Productions LA LLC
Address
432 N Ardmore Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90004
Phone
+1 (213) 624-4800