Since graduating from the University of Auckland in 2018 with an MA in Screen Production, Bala Murali Shingade has been working as a writer, director and actor for screen and theatre.

For his MA thesis film, Bala was awarded the Geoff Evans Prize for Screen Excellence. In 2019, he wrote, directed, and edited 800 LUNCHES, a short film commissioned and funded by the Outlook for Someday.