shaira yasmin berg

Multidisciplinary neuroscientist and award-winning creative whose work bridges the arts and neuroscience. She is the Co-Founder of Shy Girl Productions, an initiative dedicated to telling stories by and about women through theatre and film. Her recent work includes ‘Gaslight’, an Off-West End Theatre Award–nominated play now adapted as a UK Film Award-winning and World Indie Film Award-nominated independent film, exploring trauma and mental health through metaphorical storytelling. She received a PhD in Psychology from the University of Cambridge focusing on behavioural neuroscience in collaboration with multi-BAFTA award-winning studio Ninja Theory, blending neuroscience and cinema. She currently holds a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for the Department of Psychiatry at the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin.

ABOUT SHY GIRL PRODUCTIONS

Shaira Berg is the Co-Founder and Director of Shy Girl Productions - a production portfolio specialising in creating female-led film and theatre dedicated to crafting compelling narratives driven by women, amplifying their experiences on stage and screen. Previous production 'Gaslight' was nominated for an Off West-End Theatre Award (2024) and received multiple five-star reviews and now adapted to film. Shy Girl Productions currently has three other films in pre-production.

ABOUT gaslight the movie

AS WRITER, PRODUCER AND LEADING ACTRESS

'Gaslight' written and produced by Shaira Yasmin Berg has transcended its origins as an award-nominated Off West-End play to become a powerful and important film that dives deep into the complexities of trauma, mental health, and the silent struggles of sexual assault survivors. Adapted from the stage production, the movie promises to be just as poignant and impactful as its theatrical counterpart. Drawing from the personal lived experience of sexual assault, 'Gaslight' takes audiences on a harrowing journey through a dystopian world where life-threatening wounds are dismissed and survivors are left to navigate an environment that acknowledges their pain but offers no real support.

The story centres on Scarlet, a university student who wakes up after a party to discover a mysterious wound in the middle of her chest. As the physical injury grows over the course of the film, it becomes a powerful metaphor for her emotional and psychological trauma. The movie explores how this wound, a manifestation of her inner pain, expands as Scarlet grapples with a world that sees her suffering but fails to take any action. Through this metaphor, we get a raw and deeply sensitive portrayal of what it’s like to endure trauma in silence, unable to find true solace or validation.

What makes 'Gaslight' so important and timely is how it reflects the ongoing conversation about mental health and trauma, while simultaneously pushing the boundaries of storytelling. The film sensitively examines the complexity of dealing with sexual assault and the long-lasting effects it has on a person’s psyche, showing how the weight of trauma can affect every aspect of life, especially in a society that often minimises or ignores these experiences. It’s a stark reminder of the importance of acknowledging mental health struggles and creating spaces where survivors are heard, seen, and supported.

As we work towards the world premiere, we’re incredibly excited for audiences to experience the power of 'Gaslight' . Its success on stage was a testament to how much these stories need to be told, and we’re confident that the film version will resonate with viewers just as deeply, sparking meaningful conversations about trauma, resilience, and the necessity of understanding and supporting mental health.

HABITS THE MOVIE

Habits the movie is currently in pre-production as Shaira Berg’s directorial debut set to be filmed in January 2026 and circulated at film festivals.

‘In a world shattered by a mysterious contamination, staying alive isn’t just about avoiding danger, it’s about staying clean. Everyone has their rituals, their habits, to keep the invisible threat at bay. For Lila, who lives in a secluded house in the woods pregnant with her husband Jake, these routines are second nature. Then one day, a grave mistake is made….

Habits is a raw, intimate look at navigating heartbreak, grief, pregnancy and OCD in a world where fear has become a way of life. Through Lila’s journey, the film explores the isolating nature of OCD tendencies, trauma, and the fragile connections that tether us to hope, even when everything feels like it’s falling apart.

In the end, it’s not just about surviving the apocalypse - it’s about finding a way to live with yourself.’

mother tongue THE MOVIE

Mother Tongue is currently in pre-production written and directed by Shaira Berg to be filmed in Switzerland in Summer 2026.

‘Set in the majestic isolation of the Swiss Alps, Mother Tongue follows a young girl on a mountain hike with his mother, a journey shadowed by a quiet, growing urgency neither of them names. As the child becomes distracted by the wonders around her, she strays just far enough to witness something she was never meant to see.

In the aftermath, she is thrust into a struggle far beyond her years, forced to navigate the wilderness alone as she searches for safety, meaning, and something to hold onto in a world that has suddenly become vast and dangerous. Shot in Swiss German and rooted in the stark contrasts of beauty and brutality, Mother Tongue is a haunting tale of innocence, survival, and the fragile threads of identity.’

TAKEN PIECES THE MOVIE

Taken Pieces is a movie is currently in pre-production directed by Michaela Bottino and Shaira Berg is set to star as lead role ‘Rose’ to be filmed in the Spring of 2026.

‘Rose turns thirty. Everyone has something to say about it—her best friend, her mother, her boss. Grow up. Work harder. Be grateful. Be desirable. She drifts through the day like she’s watching her life from behind glass. Flashbacks of old dreams. Old versions of herself. A younger Rose dancing, laughing, believing. Now she’s tired. Rushing. Pretending.

At the gallery, she’s asked to evaluate a young artist’s work: portraits of aging women. “Vulnerable,” he calls them. “Forgotten.” He explains womanhood to her like she’s the one who doesn’t understand it. Something cracks. As she stares at the paintings—wrinkled faces, tired eyes—she sees herself in them. Older. Fading. Becoming the thing everyone warns her about. Suddenly, the pressure is too much.’

DOLL HOUSE THE MOVIE

Doll House is a movie is currently in pre-production written by Sarah-Walton Smith and directed and produced by Shaira Berg.

‘In a quiet, unsettling home, Clara pours warmth, devotion and childlike joy into a relationship that grows colder by the day. In another room that Clara is unaware of sits Doll — a porcelain figure with painted lips and empty eyes — a haunting reflection of what Clara herself is becoming. As Clara’s boyfriend grows increasingly distant, his love flattening into monotone echoes, she works harder to animate their world: playful touches in the kitchen, whispered confessions at dinner, soft kisses in bed. But his responses are mechanical, obligatory, lifeless. Little by little, Clara’s vibrant spirit begins to dim.

Through stark visual parallels between the silent, stiff Doll and Clara’s own stillness beside a man who no longer sees her, Dollhouse captures the slow, quiet transformation of a woman treated not as a partner, but as an object — cherished only when convenient, displayed but never truly held. The film becomes a portrait of emotional neglect so gradual it feels like sleep, and a warning of how easily a living girl can be turned into something hollow.’

GASLIGHT THE PLAY

The theatrical play version of Off-West End Award-Nominated and multiple five star reviewed ‘Gaslight’ by Shaira Berg is in preparation for commercial release on Amazon and Kindle following its’ London and Cambridge runs.

Meet the Team Behind The Shy Girl Productions Collective

Shaira Yasmin Berg

CO-FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR
Sarah Walton-Smith

CO-FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR
Ella Harpaz-Joralemon

ASSOCIATE

SHAIRA’S current and upcoming PROJECTS:

Shaira’s creative endeavours include a role opposite BAFTA and Emmy award-winner David Tennant in The Hack (2025), and her ongoing work on Gaslight (2025), an independent film she wrote and produced. She also worked with BAFTA award-winning game studio Ninja Theory to design immersive virtual reality scenarios for her PhD research at the University of Cambridge, blending storytelling and science to deepen our understanding of trauma and mental health.

upcoming book, audiobook and podcast DRAMA series

the heimdall project

The Heimdall Project is an upcoming young adult science fiction psychological thriller by Shaira Yasmin Berg that blends dystopia with themes of identity, memory, and the price of power.

In a world built on lies, can you trust your own mind?

When 17-year-old Princess Stella is sent to Heimdall Academy, a remote boarding school hidden deep in the Alps for the heirs of the world’s most powerful monarchies, she begins to experience strange dreams, eerie nightly patrols and the suffocating sense that something is deeply wrong.

As alliances crumble and rebellion brews, Stella must confront not only the secrets of the Academy, but the buried truth of who she really is and who she can trust.

Drawing from cognitive science and the emotional architecture of leadership, the story invites young readers to think critically about how experiences and environments can shape behaviour in unique and unexpected ways.

This debut will be available soon on Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats with an audiobook and podcast version releasing on Audible, iTunes, Spotify and Amazon Music.

HIGHLIGHTED CREDITS