Ashley O’Shay

Ashley O’Shay is a director and DP whose work focuses on illuminating marginalized voices. She specializes in immersive stories, grounding communities in an expansive sense of self and relationship. Beyond the documentary space, she’s brought her unique style to collaborations with several national brands, including Lyft, Nike, Vox, and Dr. Martens. Most recently, her cinematography appeared in THE NEXT MOVEMENT, a co-production between Kartemquin Films and Joffrey Ballet. The film premiered in September 2026 on PBS.

In 2020, she premiered her debut feature, Unapologetic, a deep look into the Movement for Black Lives in Chicago, told through the experiences of two young, Black queer women. The film premiered at the 2020 BlackStar Film Festival, broadcast on PBS POV, and was shortlisted for the International Documentary Association Awards. Ashley was also selected as the recipient of the 2021 Athena Film Festival Breakthrough Award, 2021 Cleveland International Film Festival Groundbreaker Award, and DOC NYC’s 40 Under 40 List.

In 2024, Ashley directed IN DUE SEASON, a short documentary commissioned by the American Cancer Society, illuminating the issue of Medicaid expansion and its disproportionate effect on Black Americans. The film premiered at the 2024 DC/DOX Film Festival and WETA+, Washington, DC’s PBS affiliate.