Russell Leigh Sharman

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Work Samples

ANGLE OF ATTACK Teaser

Dallas just got a new smoking tat burned on his back and he’s ready to show it off. But not before his best friend Austin drags him and his beer-swilling buddies to an open-mic poetry jam at a posh wine bar. Is the poetry any good? Does the tat really smoke? What awkward angles do friends have to navigate when telling each other the truth, straight up?

ANIMAL

Boy meets girl. Boy might become a wild animal at night. Girl might become something even more fearsome. A short film about the existential terror of coming of age.

NEIGHBORS

Jake just got locked out of Aubrey's apartment. In his underwear. Brad was nice enough to step into the hallway to tell him to go home. But if Jake could just borrow a pair of pants... NEIGHBORS is a short film about the lengths we will (and won't) go to for imperfect strangers.

SMALL OF HER BACK

A suicidal shut-in. A man at her door. And neither is who they seem. A feature film starring Nicole Beharie and Christopher Domig. Written and directed by Russell Leigh Sharman.

About Russell

Baltimore City

Russell Leigh Sharman is a writer, filmmaker and anthropologist. He has written for Hollywood since 2008, working for dozens of studios and production companies, including Warner Bros., Fox, Disney, MRC, DeLine Pictures, 21 Laps, Participant Media, Montecito Pictures and Real FX. He is the writer/director of APARTMENT 4E, a feature adaptation of his stage play, as well as a number of award-wining short films and documentaries. His latest stage play, THE INTERROGATOR, was a semi-finalist for the O'Neill... more

View Russell's Resume

ANGLE OF ATTACK

A narrative short about smok'n tats and speaking your truth. In post-production.

COLIN JONES

A documentary short about the last occupied structure in a condemned housing project in East Baltimore.

COLIN JONES: THE POWER HOUSE Documentary Short

Colin Jones was born on the floor of 335 Spring Court in Perkins Homes, one of the oldest public housing developments in southeast Baltimore. He is now director of The POWER House, a community center housed in a repurposed firehouse and the last occupied structure in the condemned housing project.

ANIMAL

A narrative short about the existential terror of coming of age.

SUSTAINABLE BARBUDA

A documentary series of shorts on food security in the small island state of Barbuda.

SUSTAINABLE BARBUDA Documentary Short
Before the Storm: Subsistence and Survival on the Small Island of Barbuda

In September 2017, Hurricane Irma devastated the small island of Barbuda. All 1,800 inhabitants were evacuated. As the island rebuilds, and residents slowly return, government intervention and private investment threaten access to communal land. Traditional subsistence practices such as farming, fishing and hunting, already on the decline before the storm, are at risk of disappearing entirely. These are the voices of farmers, fishermen and hunters on the importance of traditional foodways on the island of Barbuda... Before the Storm.
Frances Beazer
Papa Joe
Arthur "Speedy" Walter
Eugene DeSouza
Blaine "Righteous" Frank
Alcon Nedd and Shaville Charles
Shiraz and Anessa Hopkins

NEIGHBORS

A narrative short about the lengths we will (and won't) go to for imperfect strangers.

NEIGHBORS Narrative Short

Jake just got locked out of Aubrey's apartment. In his underwear. Brad was nice enough to step into the hallway to tell him to go home. But if Jake could just borrow a pair of pants... NEIGHBORS is a short film about the lengths we will (and won't) go to for imperfect strangers.

ALL DOGS MUST HAVE PEOPLE

A narrative short about two women, a dog park, and a bichpoo named Todd.

ALL DOGS MUST HAVE PEOPLE Narrative Short

SMALL OF HER BACK

A suicidal shut-in. A man at her door. And neither is who they seem. A narrative feature film starring Nicole Beharie and Christopher Domig. Written and directed by Russell Leigh Sharman.