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"Shady" Shane Meadows (born 26 December 1972) is a film director and screenwriter, from Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, England. He is regarded as one of the rising stars of British cinema.

His entire catalogue of films have been set in the Nottingham area, except Dead Man's Shoes which was shot in Matlock, Derbyshire. They recall the kitchen sink realism of filmmakers such as Ken Loach and Mike Leigh, with a post-modern twist. He has a relaxed directing style, encouraging the actors to ad lib in order to create a better sense of reality.

Much of the content of his films are autobiographical and based on his experiences in Uttoxeter. Twenty Four Seven was inspired by his youth, both at a boxing club, and also playing in a local football club. Despite some huge losses, the club's coach never lost faith in them. A Room for Romeo Brass was also inspired by his youth. After his best friend and neighbour (and later writing partner) Paul Fraser had a very bad accident and was bound to his bed for 2 years, Meadows instead hung around with some of the town's more undesirable characters. Dead Man's Shoes is based on the more unpleasant side of his youth in Uttoxeter. It was inspired by a close friend who had been bullied, developed a drug problem and then committed suicide. He said "I couldn't believe that, going back ten years later, he had been totally forgotten in the town - it was as if he had never existed. I was filled with anger against the people who had bullied and pushed the drugs on him, and with despair at what drugs had done to that small community".

Five of Meadows' films will be shown at this year's Flourish Festival (18--22 June 2007, at Cinebowl) held annually in Uttoxeter to mark his release of This is England.

After spending his youth in Uttoxeter Meadows moved to Nottingham when he was about 20.

Meadows enrolled on a Performing Arts course at Burton Technical College, where he first met Paddy Considine. Amongst other things, they formed the band She Talks To Angels (inspired by a Black Crowes song of the same name), with Shane as vocalist and Paddy as drummer. Lead guitarist in She Talks To Angels was Nick Hemming, who was also a member of The Telescopes. The band also included the talents of Marc Cieslak, who went on to become a TV presenter on .tv, Gamer.tv and the BBC's technology show Click.

While living in the Sneinton area of Nottingham, he made roughly 30 short films with the friends he met there.

His third feature length film, Twenty Four Seven, won several awards at film festivals, including the Douglas Hickox award at the British Independent Film Awards and Best Screenplay at the Thessaloniki Film Festival. Dead Man's Shoes, his sixth film, and third starring Paddy Considine, was nominated for a BAFTA for Best British Film.

His film, The Stairwell, was apparently filmed on a mobile phone and is just 15 seconds long.