SCREENWriter, Producer, Director

Shuchi works as a writer, producer and director, and sometimes all at once. Her work moves between genres and forms, from short films and feature dramas to television series, documentaries, and digital stories.

What connects all her projects is her engagement with notions of home, belonging, community, resistance, power and privilege - but always with a belief that stories can shift how people see one another. Even when the themes are weighty, her work looks for humour and lightness.

This gallery brings together some of the projects she has written, produced or directed in Aotearoa New Zealand and beyond.

Features

TV & Web Series

Shorts

Documentary

Unproduced Screenplays

Script Consulting

Multimedia & Other

Awards & Distinctions

features

Kainga movie poster. Six women looking out of a wooden window with a weathered frame, arranged in two columns and three rows, each with different expressions. The background is a weathered wooden wall.
A movie poster for 'Firaaq,' featuring a young boy in a beige shirt standing among seated children and shadows of police officers on a wall.
Poster for the film 'Apron Strings' featuring a woman in traditional Indian dress, a woman in a kitchen, and four smaller images of different characters with the tagline 'Sometimes letting go is the best embrace.'

Apron Strings | 2008 | Feature | Writer,
Co-Producer

Firaaq | 2008 | Feature | Writer

Kāinga | 2022 | Feature | Producer

Shorts

Poster for short film " Puli and the Tiger". A person wearing a tiger mask and traditional clothing, sitting on the ground surrounded by green foliage, holding a cup in one hand.
Movie poster for short film 'Wild Nights, Wild Nights!' featuring silhouettes of a woman and a girl with neon pink title text and credits, standing close under a purple glow.
Two women sitting close together looking at a smartphone, with the word 'SEEN' above them in large letters.

Puli and the Tiger | 2026 | Executive Producer

Wild Wild, Wild Nights | 2025 | Executive Producer

Poster for the short film Lǎo-Lao-Lǎo-Le.A young boy looking over his shoulder at the camera while drawing Chinese characters with a red marker on a wooden door. The door has the Pinyin word 'lǎo lǎo lǎo le' written alongside the Chinese characters.

Seen | 2024 | Writer, Director

Lǎo Lao Lǎo Le | 2024 | Executive Producer

Poster for short film 'Anu'. A silhouette of a woman's face in profile with stylized lines and icons on her hair, including a suit jacket, a briefcase, and abstract geometric shapes, suggesting thoughts or ideas.

Shit One Carries | 2018 | Director, Writer, Producer

Vivie | 2024 | Executive Producer

Poster for the short film 'Perianayaki'. A woman looking upward with a dark blue background and the word "perianayaki" in yellow text above her.
Movie poster for 'The Six Dollar Fifty Man,' directed by Mark Albiston and Louis Sutherland. Features a young boy in a red tracksuit with a serious expression, holding a bag, standing in front of a white wall with various film festival awards and acknowledgments.
Poster for short film 'Take 3'. Three asian young women standing against a pink wall with the text "TAKE 3" above them and the phrase "Auditions Suck" below. They are dressed in casual to semi-casual clothing.

The Six Dollar Fifty Man | 2009 | Executive Producer

Take 3 | 2008 | Executive Producer

Poster for a short film titled 'Clean Linen' featuring a young boy lying down with his eyes open and a clothespin hanging above his head, with the subtitle 'Some family secrets won't come out in the wash.'
A promotional poster for the short film 'Coffee and Allah' showing a woman in a blue burqua holding a net, facing large Arabic calligraphy in white and gold on a green grassy background, with a blue sky.

Clean Linen | 2007 | Producer, Writer

Coffee and Allah | 2007 | Producer, Writer

Poster for short film 'Fleeting Beauty' featuring Nandita Das and William Wallace, with a woman looking at a mirror and a red background.

Fleeting Beauty | 2005 | Producer, Writer

A cartoon-style illustration of two men; one older man lying in a hospital bed with an IV drip, and a younger man sitting beside him, looking away with a serious expression. The text above them says, "Shit One Carries." The background is plain light blue.
Poster for the film 'VIVE' with three young people in a cozy indoor setting. The girl in the foreground has dark curly hair and wears a white shirt with an orange tank top. Behind her, a boy with shoulder-length dark hair smiles, and a girl in the background, reclining on a sofa, rests her chin on her hand, wearing a pink shirt.

Perianayaki | 2022 | Executive Producer

Anu | 2023 | Executive Producer

Poster for short film 'Preferably Blue'. Animated Santa Claus wearing a blue Santa hat, arm around a green rabbit,, with a caption that says "Preferably Blue."
Poster for short film 'Eeling'. An eel tail swishes under dark water

Preferably Blue | 2011 | | Executive Producer

Eeling | 2010 | Executive Producer

Movie poster for 'Bridge,' directed by Jochen FitzHerbert, featuring a woman in a turquoise jacket looking up against a dark background, with the tagline "The lives of two lovers are literally turned upside down." It highlights film festival awards from Valladolid and New Zealand in 2008 and includes production and cast credits.
Poster for short film 'Patu Ihu' showing a person with glasses holding two spoons over their eyes, a young boy looking pensive, and an elderly woman looking worried, with all details and text about the film.

Bridge | 2008 | Executive Producer

Patu Ihu | 2008 | Executive Producer

TV & Web Series

Poster for web series 'Dead Strangers'. A woman with braided hair and wearing a headset looks shocked, with the text "Dead Strangers" overlaid.

Dead Strangers | 2026 | Web series Pilot | Episode One Executive Producer

Three women in a room decorated for a wedding. One woman is in a wedding dress, another is sitting on a pink sofa, and the third is sitting on an armchair reading a book. The room has pink and beige curtains with floral decorations. The text overlay says "DUEL WEDDINGS."

Duel Weddings | 2026 | Web series Pilot | Episode One Executive Producer

Poster for web series 'Happiness is the Path'. Three young adults standing at a celebration, with balloons. The words 'Happiness is the path' appear above them.
Poster for the web series 'Pincher'. A woman with black hai, red top, green fuzzy coat, and gold jewelry, throws a handful of something white against a pink background, with the word 'PINCHER' in large yellow letters above her.

Happiness is the Path | 2023 | Web series Pilot | Episode One Executive Producer

Pincher | 2023 | Web series Pilot | Episode One Executive Producer

Poster for the web series 'Strange Brew'. Two women face each other in a white space with a coffee machine. One holds a cup of coffee. They both look awkward.

Strange Brew | 2026 | Web series Pilot | Episode One Executive Producer

Poster for web series 'Jani Bros'. Two men standing in a green field of crops with a clear blue sky in the background and large text above them that reads 'JANI BROS'.

Jani Bros | 2026 | Web series Pilot | Episode One Executive Producer

Poster for webseries 'Thaw'. A woman in hospital pajamas sitting on a red chair next to an IV stand in front of a stone fireplace. The image has the word 'THAW' in large green letters at the top.
Poster for TV series 'A Thousand Apologies'. Three people jumping and dancing energetically in a room with a blue tint, with the text "A Thousand Apologies" and production details overlayed.

Thaw | 2023 | Web series Pilot | Episode One Executive Producer

A Thousand Apologies | 2008 | TV Series | Co-Creator, Producer, Writer

Poster for web series 'Boom Shankar'. Two men posing for a photo, one with a shocked expression and the other wearing a motorcycle helmet smiling, with the text "BOOM SHANKAR" at the bottom.
Poster for web series 'Asian 8'. Eight photos of young Asian girls in school uniforms making different facial expressions and poses, with large yellow text that reads 'ASIAN 8' in the center.

Boom Shankar | 2023 | Web series Pilot | Episode One Executive Producer

Asian 8 | 2023 | Web series Pilot | Episode One Executive Producer

documentary

Poster for documentary short 'Rann'. A person standing on a beach during sunset with laurels at the top and the title RANN at the bottom.
Poster for animated short documentary 'Elder Birdsong'. Illustration of an elder bird singing, wearing glasses, with a background of a music stand and framed pictures, promoting the story 'Elder Birdsong'.
Poster for documentary 'Threads'. Close-up of a woman in a pink patterned sari working on a traditional handloom weaving textile.
Poster for TV documentary 'A Taste of Place'. Shuchi Kothari with shoulder-length black hair, wearing traditional Indian attire with a white and gold patterned shawl and pinkish-red sleeves, holding a small green fruit, in an indoor setting.

Threads: Sustaining India's Textile Traditions | 2021 | Producer, Co-Director, Writer

A Taste of Place: Stories of Food & Longing | 2001 | Writer, Presenter

Elder Birdsong | 2019 | Animated short | Producer, Co-Director, Writer

Rann | 2020 | Short | Producer, Co-Director, Writer

STORYLINING 2026-2021

Slam TV UK – Young Hot Bloods (TV Series)

Rupture- Live Cross (TV Series)

Bodhini Studios- Lisa Shaker Maker (Feature Film)

Static Box Limted  – Hello Stranger (TV Series)

Homegrown Pictures—Amira’s Odssey (TV Series)

Brown Sugar Apple Grunt -Masonic Murders (TV Series)

Asian 8 Phoenix—Ming! (Webseries)

Greenstone TV—Totally Normal (TV Series)

Greenstone TV—End of the World (TV Series)

Nine Nights Feature Screenplay, selected by Blacklist & NZFC

Making Murphy, Animation

Stand Up Straight, Drama

Ming! Pilot Screenplay Webseries, Asian 8 Phoenix, Auckland New Zealand for RNZ/NZ On Air

Unproduced Screenplays 2026-2021

Script Consulting 2024

Feature Rise Up by Seed recipient Kishan Raman for Writer’s Guild NZ

Feature film Soft by Seed recipient Pulkit Arora for Writer’s Guild NZ

Horror feature film by Seed recipient Ghazaleh Golbaksh for Writer’s Guild NZ

multimedia & other

A woman wearing headphones at a computer monitor displaying a collage of images, in a room with other people.

Project Producer, Whanau End of Life Care Digital Stories, Te Arai Palliative Care & Digital Storytelling in the Pacific, 2020

Project Producer, Pae Herenga: An Investigation of Māori whanau end of life cultural care customs digital stories, Kapiti, 2019

Project Producer, Pae Herenga: An Investigation of Māori whanau end of life cultural care customs Hastings digital stories, Hastings, 2018

Project Producer, Pae Herenga: An Investigation of Māori whanau end of life cultural care customs digital stories, Kerikeri 2018

Project Producer, Tāpinga ‘a Maama’: Pacific life and death in advanced age digital stories, Auckland, 2017

Writer, Co-Director, Producer, Farewell/Haere Atu Ra 26 mins, docu-fiction, School of Nursing University of Auckland and Gainsborough Films, New Zealand, 2016

Project Producer, Whanau End of Life Care Digital Stories, Te Arai Palliative Care & Digital Storytelling in the Pacific, 2015

Project Producer, Fiji Digital Stories, 2013

Project Producer, Tonga Digital Stories, 2013

Shuchi Kothari smiling in front of a large pink and white poster at the Women in Film & Television New Zealand Awards 2022 event, with a crowd of women in the background.

Select Awards & Distinctions

Appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to the screen industry.

Short Film Spirit Award, Show Me Shorts International Film Festival, for Contribution of time, expertise and mauri to New Zealand short film makers over many years

Outstanding Contribution to the NZ Screen Industry Award, Women in Film and Television New Zealand

As Producer (with Kerry Warkia and Kiel McNaughton), Netpac Award for Best Asian Film for feature Kāinga at Hawaii International Film Festival

As Director of Seen, “Best Short Film, NRI” Delhi International Film Festival

As Executive Producer, Best Short Film for Perianayaki at the New Zealand International Film Festival

Selected NZFC/Blacklist screen-writer (BLNZ Programme), Los Angeles, USA for feature screenplay Navratri

As Director (with Peter Simpson and Sarina Pearson), Special Mention Award for documentary RANN, Doc Edge Festival, Auckland

As Writer, nominated for Best Screenplay for the feature film Firaaq, at the 52nd Annual Filmfare Awards, Mumbai, India (India’s equivalent to the Academy Awards)

As Writer, nominated in the category for Best Story for the feature film Firaaq at the Star Screen Awards, Mumbai, India (India’s equivalent to the Golden Globe Awards)

As Writer, Best Film Award (Critics’ Choice) for Firaaq at the Star Screen Awards, Mumbai, India

As Executive Producer, Jury Prize in International Short Filmmaking for Six Dollar Fifty Man, Sundance Film Festival, USA

As Executive Producer, Special Distinction for Six Dollar Fifty Man, 62nd Festival De Cannes, France

As Writer and Producer, Special Selection for Apron Strings at 62nd Festival De Cannes (Cinephile), France

As Writer and Producer, Coffee & Allah selected for competition at the Venice International Film Festival

External links

Asianzonscreen

Big Screen Symposium

IMDB

New Zealand on Screen

Satellites

The University of Auckland staff profile

Wikipedia

Contact