Sheetal Sheth
Encyclopedia
Sheetal Sheth is an actress who is known for her wide range of roles in an impressive body of work in film, television, and theater. She has starred in many feature films, perhaps best known for starring opposite Albert Brooks
in Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World
. Sheetal is known as much as an actress as she is someone who is heavily involved in community outreach and causes that are important to her.
to Gujarati
Jain parents. Her family relocated to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania when she was in the sixth grade. From an early age was involved with her local temple. By the time she entered high school, Sheth was president of the Hindu Youth Association, and was working with younger children to get them involved in the community.
Sheth is a graduate of Liberty High School
in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
in the Lehigh Valley
region of the state. It was there where Sheth first discovered her love of acting. She also graduated from New York University
's Tisch School of the Arts
in New York City
. While studying at NYU, she became involved with Americorps
, tutoring children in the Lower East Side
of Manhattan
. Sheth is a vegetarian. She also studied in Amsterdam as part of the intensive, International Theatre Workshop. She was also part of the Scholar's Program at NYU and graduated with honors.
a risky and memorable role as a promiscuous young girl struggling with the ties of family and tradition. Since then, Sheetal has developed a reputation as a consummate professional with an unmatched work ethic and critical eye when choosing projects.
She starred and danced in "((American Chai))" which won the Audience Award at the Slamdance and Gen Art Film Festivals. She was brought on to play opposite Kal Penn and Mimi Rogers in "((Dancing with Twilight))" and broke out in Shangri-La Entertainment's film "Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World
" as the female lead, Maya, opposite 'Albert Brooks (I)' (qv), winning the role after an extensive international casting search. Her films "I Can't Think Straight
" and "The World Unseen
" have become cult classics with the latter having premiered at The Toronto Film Festival, and then went on to win 11 SAFTA's (South African equivalent to the Oscars) and many international awards. Her latest films include "Three Veils
", "Stalemate
", and "Reign
" which teamed her with Oscar nominated DP, Jack Green and director Kimberly Jentzen.
Best Actress for role in The World Unseen at the Gran Canaria Film Festival, Spain, 2009.
Best Actress for role in The World Unseen at the Festival del Mar, Ibiza 2009.
Best Leading Performance Award for role in The World Unseen at Out Takes Film Festival, Dallas 2009.
Albert Brooks
Albert Lawrence Brooks is an American actor, voice actor, writer, comedian and director. He received an Academy Award nomination in 1987 for his role in Broadcast News...
in Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World
Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World
Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World is a 2006 film starring and directed by Albert Brooks. It was shown at the Dubai International Film Festival.-Synopsis:...
. Sheetal is known as much as an actress as she is someone who is heavily involved in community outreach and causes that are important to her.
Early life
Sheth was born on June 24, 1976 in Phillipsburg, New JerseyPhillipsburg, New Jersey
Phillipsburg, known locally as P'burg, is a town in Warren County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 14,950....
to Gujarati
Gujarati people
Gujarati people , or Gujaratis are an ethnic group that is traditionally Gujarati-speaking and can trace their ancestry to the state of Gujarat in western India...
Jain parents. Her family relocated to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania when she was in the sixth grade. From an early age was involved with her local temple. By the time she entered high school, Sheth was president of the Hindu Youth Association, and was working with younger children to get them involved in the community.
Sheth is a graduate of Liberty High School
Liberty High School (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania)
For schools with similar names, see Liberty High School.Liberty High School is a public high school located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the United States....
in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
in the Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
region of the state. It was there where Sheth first discovered her love of acting. She also graduated from New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
's Tisch School of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts is one of the 15 schools that make up New York University ....
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. While studying at NYU, she became involved with Americorps
AmeriCorps
AmeriCorps is a U.S. federal government program that was created under President Bill Clinton by the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993 and later expanded by 50 percent under President George W. Bush...
, tutoring children in the Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. Sheth is a vegetarian. She also studied in Amsterdam as part of the intensive, International Theatre Workshop. She was also part of the Scholar's Program at NYU and graduated with honors.
Acting
Sheetal burst onto the scene with raves in her debut film role, playing the gutsy lead in ABCDABCD (film)
ABCD is a 2005 Tamil language film released in India. It was directed by Sharavana Subbaiya.The film starred Shaam, Sneha, Aparna and Nandana Kumar along with Vadivelu, who provided the comic relief.-Plot:...
a risky and memorable role as a promiscuous young girl struggling with the ties of family and tradition. Since then, Sheetal has developed a reputation as a consummate professional with an unmatched work ethic and critical eye when choosing projects.
She starred and danced in "((American Chai))" which won the Audience Award at the Slamdance and Gen Art Film Festivals. She was brought on to play opposite Kal Penn and Mimi Rogers in "((Dancing with Twilight))" and broke out in Shangri-La Entertainment's film "Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World
Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World
Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World is a 2006 film starring and directed by Albert Brooks. It was shown at the Dubai International Film Festival.-Synopsis:...
" as the female lead, Maya, opposite 'Albert Brooks (I)' (qv), winning the role after an extensive international casting search. Her films "I Can't Think Straight
I Can't Think Straight
I Can't Think Straight is a 2007 romance movie about a London-based Jordanian of Palestinian descent, Tala, who is preparing for an elaborate wedding. A turn of events causes her to have an affair and subsequently fall in love with another woman, Leyla, a British Indian. The movie is distributed by...
" and "The World Unseen
The World Unseen
The World Unseen is a 2008 historical drama film written and directed by Shamim Sarif, adapted from her own novel. The film is set in 1950s Cape Town, South Africa during the beginning of apartheid...
" have become cult classics with the latter having premiered at The Toronto Film Festival, and then went on to win 11 SAFTA's (South African equivalent to the Oscars) and many international awards. Her latest films include "Three Veils
Three Veils
Three Veils is a 2011 film written and directed by Rolla Selbak starring Sheetal Sheth, Angela Zahra and Mercedes Masöhn.-Synopsis:Three Veils is about three young Middle-Eastern women living in the U.S, each with her own personal story. Leila is engaged to be married, however as the wedding night...
", "Stalemate
Stalemate
Stalemate is a situation in chess where the player whose turn it is to move is not in check but has no legal moves. A stalemate ends the game in a draw. Stalemate is covered in the rules of chess....
", and "Reign
Reign
A reign is the term used to describe the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office of monarch of a nation or of a people . In most hereditary monarchies and some elective monarchies A reign is the term used to describe the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office...
" which teamed her with Oscar nominated DP, Jack Green and director Kimberly Jentzen.
Awards
Best Actress for role in Wings Of Hope at Cinevue Film Festival, 2003.Best Actress for role in The World Unseen at the Gran Canaria Film Festival, Spain, 2009.
Best Actress for role in The World Unseen at the Festival del Mar, Ibiza 2009.
Best Leading Performance Award for role in The World Unseen at Out Takes Film Festival, Dallas 2009.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | ABCD ABCD (film) ABCD is a 2005 Tamil language film released in India. It was directed by Sharavana Subbaiya.The film starred Shaam, Sneha, Aparna and Nandana Kumar along with Vadivelu, who provided the comic relief.-Plot:... |
Nina |
| 2002 | A Pocket Full of Dreams | Sanjana |
| Wings of Hope Wings of Hope Wings of Hope is a 2000 made for TV documentary directed by Werner Herzog. The film explores the story of Juliane Koepcke, a German woman who was the sole survivor of plane crash of Peruvian flight LANSA Flight 508 in 1971. Herzog was inspired to make this film as he narrowly avoided taking the... |
Kaajal Verma | |
| American Chai American Chai American Chai is a 2002 film written and directed by Indian American director Anurag Mehta. His brother, Aalok Mehta, played the starring role opposite Sheetal Sheth, who had previously starred in the similar genre film ABCD... |
Maya | |
| 2005 | Indian Cowboy Indian Cowboy Indian Cowboy is a South Asian independent feature film that belongs to a growing list of independently produced films in North America by filmmakers of South Asian descent. Featuring a bevy of South Asian actors including Sheetal Sheth, this feature film has been to several film festivals and is... |
Sapna |
| Dancing in Twilight | Nicole | |
| 2006 | Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World is a 2006 film starring and directed by Albert Brooks. It was shown at the Dubai International Film Festival.-Synopsis:... |
Maya |
| 2007 | The Trouble with Romance The Trouble with Romance The Trouble With Romance is a 2007 comedy drama film starring Kip Pardue, David Eigenberg, Roger Fan, Josie Davis, Sheetal Sheth, and Coby Ryan McLaughin.... |
Nicole |
| First Fear | Maya | |
| 2008 | I Can't Think Straight I Can't Think Straight I Can't Think Straight is a 2007 romance movie about a London-based Jordanian of Palestinian descent, Tala, who is preparing for an elaborate wedding. A turn of events causes her to have an affair and subsequently fall in love with another woman, Leyla, a British Indian. The movie is distributed by... |
Leyla |
| The World Unseen The World Unseen The World Unseen is a 2008 historical drama film written and directed by Shamim Sarif, adapted from her own novel. The film is set in 1950s Cape Town, South Africa during the beginning of apartheid... |
Amina | |
| 2009 | Why Am I Doing This? | Nira |
| Three Veils Three Veils Three Veils is a 2011 film written and directed by Rolla Selbak starring Sheetal Sheth, Angela Zahra and Mercedes Masöhn.-Synopsis:Three Veils is about three young Middle-Eastern women living in the U.S, each with her own personal story. Leila is engaged to be married, however as the wedding night... |
Nikki | |