David O’Shields

David is an award winning, internationally respected documentary filmmaker and has been a working member of the production community since 1985. Through his independent documentary film production company, David O'Shields Film, he pursues his dream of making important and engaging documentary films. In addition to his work in public television, he has extensive experience as a cameraman and director in commercial television.

David O'Shields Film is developing a diverse and distinctive body of documentaries. Based in Cedar Falls, IA, the company and works closely with the production and post-production communities in Minneapolis and Boston.
In addition to his duties at David O'Shields Film, David also serves as an adjunct instructor, and the documentary filmmaker in residence, all at the University of Northern Iowa.

David’s work has received numerous awards including the Cine Golden Eagle and the International Documentary Association’s Pare Lorentz Award. His work has been broadcast and distributed in the U.S. on PBS and Netflix, and broadcast internationally in Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

He continues to serve on film festival juries, and from 2009-2014, served as a cultural ambassador and film expert for the U.S. State Department’s American Documentary Showcase.

David also directs the William and Stephanie Clohesy Documentary Film Series. The series brings America's most distinguished documentary filmmakers to the campus of the University of Northern Iowa to talk and screen their work.