About Me
As a filmmaker, Emmy Nominated Jill Sharpe creates documentary and dramatic films. Her films are shown at international film festivals, broadcast in more than 20 countries and have won multiple awards. Jill also has received SAG/AFTRA certified training as an Intimacy Coordinator.
As a painter, Sharpe exhibits and sells her work internationally. She’s received solo exhibitions at the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum (Santa Fe); Emily Carr House (Victoria), and presented at the McMichael Gallery (Toronto).
Sharpe also works as an interactive designer for museum exhibits and landmarks. International clients include Washtington National Cathedral and the Smithsonian affiliate Biomuseo in Panama.
Film Bio
As a filmmaker, I explore themes of human potential; social transformation and art. Early in my career, I focused on making documentary films with the goal of injecting radical ideas into mainstream media. I moved into dramatic filmmaking with a desire to work with actors and experiment with form. Today, I continue working on my own films as well as supporting the creativity of others.
I have produced my own films under my company, Reel Myth Productions, as well as written and directed work for other production companies. My start in film was as an assistant producer on dramatic series and features. I then production managed commercials and live television. I speak French and Spanish and have dual EU/Canadian citizenship. I have worked with diverse film crews in Latin America, Europe, US and Canada.
I enjoy mentoring new filmmakers and consulting on productions wearing a variety of hats – whether script editing feature films, story editing documentary films, or intimacy coordinating on dramatic films. Engaging in a range of roles allows me to reflect on my own artistic choices and rekindles my enthusiasm for the process of filmmaking.
| Credits | |
|---|---|
| Stations of the Cross at Cloisters on the Platte Writer/Director/Producer | A 21st Century reflection on the way of the cross – dramatic film - experimental in style – using sculpture, FX, actors and film clips. Blue chip production privately commissioned. Soon to be released. 30 mins. 2023. |
| Fluid: The Inquiry of Emilie Conrad Writer/Director/Producer | A tribute to somatic pioneer Emilie Conrad and her theory of a universal fluid system. Commissioned by the Somatic Research Institute. New Release. Selected for the European Spiritual Film Festival. 17 mins. 2022. |
| Robert Lantos: A Meta-Narrative Abridged Writer/Director | A collage-like celebration where memory, dream and story collide in a flickering state of imagination. Scenes from Lantos’ landmark films are playfully re-purposed to underscore key moments in his motivation to produce films. Commissioned by the NFB in honor of the Governor Generals Awards Lifetime Achievement Recipient in Performing Arts. Museum of Civilization, Ottawa. 4 mins. 2016. |
| Bone Wind Fire Writer/Director | A hybrid drama/animation/doc about the creative process of three painters: Frida Kahlo, Georgia O’Keeffe & Emily Carr. Funded by the NFB. Emmy Nomination - Best Historical Doc – NATAS NW; Special Presentation - Lincoln Centre in New York. Won Best Canadian Film at FIFA (International Festival of Films on Art in Montreal), Best Short Documentary (Sonoma International Film Festival), Best Short Film (Santa Fe Independent Film Festival), Artistic Innovation Award (Vancouver Women in Film and Television). Invited to over 20 International Film Festivals and screened in Art Galleries in North America and Europe. Aired on PBS. 30 mins. 2011. |
| Corporations in the Classroom Writer/Director/Producer | Investigates the upside and downside of increasing corporate influence on public education in North America. Aired on Global Television’s “Global Currents” series in Canada. DOCSDF Film Festival in Mexico City. 46 mins. 2007 |
| Girls Don’t Fight
Director | Provocatively explores women’s recent entry into what has long been considered a male domain: the fight rings of sport. Nominated for a Leo Award and Gemini Award: Best Sports Documentary. Aired on CTV in Canada. 46 mins. 2005. |
| Weird Sex & Snowshoes: A Trek Through the Canadian Cinematic Psyche Director | A bilingual documentary celebrating Canadian Cinema, showcases 70 films and interviews Canada’s top 21 feature directors. Leo Award nomination for Best Arts documentary. Won the 2nd Audience Choice Award at the Whistler International Film Festival. Aired on The Movie Network, Bravo and Movie Central, Canada. 60 mins. 2004. |
| CultureJam: Hijacking Commercial Culture Writer/Director/Producer | Delivers a fascinating rap on the 20th century movement called “Culture Jamming.” Won the Audience Choice Awards at both the Vancouver and Auckland International Film Festivals and was selected for over 35 international festival screens. Nominated for the prestigious Donald Brittain Award for Best Social Issue Documentary, and won the Leo Award for Best Social Issue Documentary & Best Editing. Aired on CBC Newsworld; Vision TV, Canada; and TRIO network, U.S. Two month Exhibition in Bilbao Spain’s contemporary Art Gallery. 57 mins. 2002. |
| In the Company of Fear
Writer/Producer | Reveals the power of non-violent resistance in the face of state terror, profiling the work of protective accompaniment in Colombia. Nominated Best Political DOC at the Canadian National Hot Docs Awards, 2000; invited to over 20 International Film Festivals including the United Nations Film Festival in San Francisco. 52 mins. 1999. |
| Healing Beyond a Cure Writer/Director/Producer | About a woman’s journey through illness to a deeper meaning of life. Sold to ZDF Arte and Vision TV. 25 mins. 1997. |
| Ray Bradbury: An American Icon
Producer | A definitive biography, filmed with personal anecdotes, captures the essence of this truly gifted writer. Made for USA Networks. Great North Productions. 60 mins. 1996. |
| Jasper: Spirit of the Rockies Producer/Co-Writer/Co-Director | A pilot for Discovery Canada’s Great Canadian Parks series. Great North Productions. 52 mins. 1995. |
| Yellow Brick Roads
Co-producer/Episodic Director | Won a Gemini, Best Lifestyle Series. Aired on TVO & CBC Newsworld. 13 x 30 min series. 1994/95. |
| TITLE | SYNOPSYS |
|---|---|
| Stations of the Cross at Cloisters on the Platte Writer/Director/Producer | A 21st Century reflection on the way of the cross – dramatic film - experimental in style – using sculpture, FX, actors and film clips. Blue chip production privately commissioned. Soon to be released. 30 mins. 2023. |
| Fluid: The Inquiry of Emilie Conrad Writer/Director/Producer | A tribute to somatic pioneer Emilie Conrad and her theory of a universal fluid system. Commissioned by the Somatic Research Institute. New Release. Selected for the European Spiritual Film Festival. 17 mins. 2022. |
| Robert Lantos: A Meta-Narrative Abridged Writer/Director | A collage-like celebration where memory, dream and story collide in a flickering state of imagination. Scenes from Lantos’ landmark films are playfully re-purposed to underscore key moments in his motivation to produce films. Commissioned by the NFB in honor of the Governor Generals Awards Lifetime Achievement Recipient in Performing Arts. Museum of Civilization, Ottawa. 4 mins. 2016. |
| Bone Wind Fire Writer/Director | A hybrid drama/animation/doc about the creative process of three painters: Frida Kahlo, Georgia O’Keeffe & Emily Carr. Funded by the NFB. Emmy Nomination - Best Historical Doc – NATAS NW; Special Presentation - Lincoln Centre in New York. Won Best Canadian Film at FIFA (International Festival of Films on Art in Montreal), Best Short Documentary (Sonoma International Film Festival), Best Short Film (Santa Fe Independent Film Festival), Artistic Innovation Award (Vancouver Women in Film and Television). Invited to over 20 International Film Festivals and screened in Art Galleries in North America and Europe. Aired on PBS. 30 mins. 2011. |
| Corporations in the Classroom Writer/Director/Producer | Investigates the upside and downside of increasing corporate influence on public education in North America. Aired on Global Television’s “Global Currents” series in Canada. DOCSDF Film Festival in Mexico City. 46 mins. 2007 |
| Girls Don’t Fight
Director | Provocatively explores women’s recent entry into what has long been considered a male domain: the fight rings of sport. Nominated for a Leo Award and Gemini Award: Best Sports Documentary. Aired on CTV in Canada. 46 mins. 2005. |
| Weird Sex & Snowshoes: A Trek Through the Canadian Cinematic Psyche Director | A bilingual documentary celebrating Canadian Cinema, showcases 70 films and interviews Canada’s top 21 feature directors. Leo Award nomination for Best Arts documentary. Won the 2nd Audience Choice Award at the Whistler International Film Festival. Aired on The Movie Network, Bravo and Movie Central, Canada. 60 mins. 2004. |
| CultureJam: Hijacking Commercial Culture Writer/Director/Producer | Delivers a fascinating rap on the 20th century movement called “Culture Jamming.” Won the Audience Choice Awards at both the Vancouver and Auckland International Film Festivals and was selected for over 35 international festival screens. Nominated for the prestigious Donald Brittain Award for Best Social Issue Documentary, and won the Leo Award for Best Social Issue Documentary & Best Editing. Aired on CBC Newsworld; Vision TV, Canada; and TRIO network, U.S. Two month Exhibition in Bilbao Spain’s contemporary Art Gallery. 57 mins. 2002. |
| In the Company of Fear
Writer/Producer | Reveals the power of non-violent resistance in the face of state terror, profiling the work of protective accompaniment in Colombia. Nominated Best Political DOC at the Canadian National Hot Docs Awards, 2000; invited to over 20 International Film Festivals including the United Nations Film Festival in San Francisco. 52 mins. 1999. |
| Healing Beyond a Cure Writer/Director/Producer | About a woman’s journey through illness to a deeper meaning of life. Sold to ZDF Arte and Vision TV. 25 mins. 1997. |
| Ray Bradbury: An American Icon
Producer | A definitive biography, filmed with personal anecdotes, captures the essence of this truly gifted writer. Made for USA Networks. Great North Productions. 60 mins. 1996. |
| Jasper: Spirit of the Rockies Producer/Co-Writer/Co-Director | A pilot for Discovery Canada’s Great Canadian Parks series. Great North Productions. 52 mins. 1995. |
| Yellow Brick Roads
Co-producer/Episodic Director | Won a Gemini, Best Lifestyle Series. Aired on TVO & CBC Newsworld. 13 x 30 min series. 1994/95. |
Painting Bio
I began painting in oil at the age of 13. Diving into the solo and silent medium of paint is the perfect antidote to working in the fast-moving medium of film. Much of my artistic practice is founded upon the symbiotic relationship of these two mediums. One informs the other.
I have been fortunate to study painting under several accomplished artists. In 2001, I made a 3-year painting study in Mexico under the tutelage of Nicias Arjidjis. In 2006, I traveled to France for 3 months to study under revered Dutch painter Jos Vandevan. And from 2008 to 2010 I mentored under Canadian landscape painter Sheri Bakes.
As early as 2001 my film work was invited for art gallery presentations; and by 2004 my paintings were presented in the gallery environment as well. Today I continue to show and sell work in private galleries. If you are interested in a painting – please contact me.
GALLERY EXHIBITS - PAINTING
| YEar | EXHIBIT |
|---|---|
| 2019 | Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. Curated exhibit presented at the Victoria International Airport. 2 paintings for 3 month exhibit |
| 2018 | Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. Group show, Massey Sales Gallery. 8 paintings for 1 month |
| 2015 | Madrona Gallery, Victoria BC. Solo Show |
| 2013 | AVA Gallery, Lebanon New Hampshire (oldest artist run gallery in United States). Slide presentation & talk on BONE WIND FIRE painting series and the creative process |
| 2013 | McMichael Gallery, Toronto, ON. (Home Gallery of Group of Seven). Slide Presentation & talk on BONE WIND FIRE painting series |
| 2012 | Georgia O’Keeffe Museum’s Education Annex, 1 month solo show – BONE WIND FIRE painting series O’Keeffe’s 125th Birthday celebration, Santa Fe, New Mexico -1 month solo show |
| 2012 | Emily Carr House, 2 month Solo Show - “Through Three Worlds”/BONE WIND FIRE painting series, Victoria, BC |
| 2012 | Solas Art Festival, select paintings from Illuminata series, Glasgow Scotland |
| 2003 | Casa del Angel Galeria, Oaxaca, Mexico – select paintings |
| 2002 | Galeria 910, Group Show, Oaxaca Mexico |
GALLERY EXHIBITS - FILM
| Year | Exhibit |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Dulwich Picture Gallery, London |
| 2013 | Lincoln Centre New York, opening film for Lincoln Centre Film Society’s 35th anniversary film festival tribute to FIFA (International Festival of Films on Art) McMichael Gallery, Kleingburg Ontario AVA Gallery, Lebanon, New Hampshire |
| 2012 | Musee des beaux arts, Montreal Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, Santa Fe Sonoma Valley Art Museum, Sonoma, California Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Quebec City Museum of Fine Arts, Boston National Gallery of Art, Washington Le Fesnoy - Studio National des Arts Contemporains, Tourcoing, France |
| 2003 | Sala Rekalde, Bilbao Spain – “Para Todos los Publicos” - 3 month group show of international artists including Cindy Sherman |
VISUAL ARTS TRAINING
| Year | EDUCATION |
|---|---|
| 1999 | Atlin School of Art, “Idea & the Creative Process”, Atlin, BC |
| 2001-04 | Galeria 910, painting collective, Oaxaca, Mexico |
| 2005 | Private Classes with BC painter Liliana Kleiner |
| 2005-08 | Emily Carr University, painting Certificate courses (P/T), Vancouver |
| 2006 | Dutch Master Techniques, with Joss Vandeven, Brittany, France |
| 2007 | Primal Painting, with Japanese abstract painter Meera, Ibiza Spain |
| 2008/09/12 | Private mentorship with landscape painter Sheri Bakes, Vancouver |
| 2009 | Studio sessions with portrait painter Jay Snetchko, Vancouver, BC |
| 2013 | BC Arts Council Visual Arts Grant – presentation travel to McMichael Gallery |
Interactive Bio
I am an ardent supporter of preserving public space - creatively and politically. In 2013, I began applying my storytelling skills to the museum and heritage site environment. In helping to craft compelling multimedia experiences for these public institutions, I hope they will continue to thrive. I am interested in experimenting with media in public space and utilizing new technologies for immersive engagement. My training in audio description for the blind enables me to make interactive experiences more accessible.