The Autumnal Equinox brings a time of illuminated balance.  It offers the opportunity to calibrate our giving and receiving, and acknowledge if adjustments are required for harmonious reciprocity.  We celebrate the Harvest, and the seeds we’ve planted and nurtured to reap the bounty we now share.

What is our greatest resource? Time? Energy? Health? Water? Freedom? Love?
They all come together, don’t they, to make LIFE.
Where there is life, there is art, for meaning we must make of it.  

I’m grateful that I’m now able to share all of my pre-Strike work with you,  balanced between comedy and drama, for what is Life but a daily blend of both?

THE DISAPPOINTMENTS

With Trevor LaPaglia (“Dwight”), E.P./Writer/Director Rich Burns (“Ray”), & Gedde Watanabe (“ Gary” )

What a joy to gather with my “The Disappointments” family to premiere the first three episodes of Season 2 and support the Senior Services of the LGBT Center of Los Angeles! The Humanitas-Prize winning Season 1 has over 9 million views on YouTube and Season 2 is even more terrific -  hilarious, moving, and full of celebration for the sustaining friendship of our 3 heroes as they grapple with the disappointments of life, as gay men of a certain age in L.A.. The audience loved it, and so will you.

Fun Fact: improbable and adorable “Sixteen Candles” couple, Lumberjack and Long Duk Dong, played by Debbie Pollock and Gedde Watanabe, are reunited here and play agent Oksana and her client, actor Gary.  What a treat to see them share the screen again!

All we need is a home for the show, and if you can help us find one for this beautiful baby, I shall be eternally grateful.  Mastermind Rich Burns writes, directs, plays key ensemble member Ray, and executive produces as well. Let me know if you have an idea and I’ll connect you.

I’m sending a special “Thank You!”  shout-out to the best red carpet make-up artist, Angela Pereira, for taking me next-level for the hot lights!

(Watch the hilarious Season 2 trailer below)

THE DEATH THAT AWAITS

(Watch the menacing new trailer below)

COMING SOON TO PRIME VIDEO

Streaming Now on ROKU & Fandango At Home 

We all have those moments when the recognition of the truth overwhelms us.  
There’s an epiphany, and we can no longer not KNOW. 

Angela (yours truly) is desperate to save her daughter Nina (Megan Lawless) from a transformation that is tearing their family apart.  Urged by her husband Reese (Ron Yuan), Angela and the family turn to a renowned expert for guidance - Dr. V. (Paul Johansson), - and to a warm stranger, Cassie (Katya Martin), who willingly accepts the call to help this family find peace. You see, they’ve all come too far to not know. 

The Death That Awaits was a joy to shoot with Megan Lawless and Katya martin, who bring fierce intelligence and passion to their roles. Ron Yuan, Paul Johansson and Tim Gabriel are three terrific guys playing three tricky men. Directed with heart and a keen eye by Richard Lee and written by Rachel Kiley, and distributed by Jackrabbit Media. 

Watch this slow-burn horror film tonight! 

B F F R

(Watch the trailer below)

Desperate for connection, a lonely, introverted, know-it-all (yours truly) invites a self-absorbed, wanna-be actress (Erika Apelgren) to her home for an evening of socializing that ends unexpectedly.  I play socially isolated tech entrepreneur Angelica in this Chekhovian two-hander, which highlights the healing power of empathy.  Conceived and shot during the pandemic, this dark comedy peers at the epidemic of loneliness and finds hope in our shared humanity.  

FESTIVALS & AWARDS

UPCOMING

THE SUSSEX INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

UK ~ NOVEMBER 2024

~

AUGURI FILM FESTIVAL

TURIN, ITALY ~ DECEMBER 2024

~

BEST SCREENPLAY

COMEDY SHORT FILM FESTIVAL

Atlantic Beach, FL

~

OFFICAL SELECTION

LIFT-OFF FILMMAKER 2024 - LONDON, U.K.

~

FORT SMITH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

~

FILMFEST OBERURSEL, GERMANY

~

INDIE SHORTS MAG SHORT FILM FESTIVAL - NEW YORK

~

ISTANBUL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL - TURKEY

~

SYMBIOTIC FILM FESTIVAL - KIEV, UKRAINE

~

FEEDBACK FILM FESTIVAL

~

GOLDEN SHORT FILM FESTIVAL

 BEST COMEDY

REALE FILM FESTIVAL

Milan, Italy

~

NIGHT OF SHORTS

Milan, Italy

~

ALL COMEDY SHORT FILM FESTIVAL

BEST SHORT/COMEDY

L.A. INDEPENDENT WOMEN FILM AWARDS

 ~

TOP INDIE FILM AWARDS

 BEST WOMAN DIRECTOR

GOLDEN LION INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2024

Kolkota, India

FINALIST

for BEST COMEDY SHORT

ROBINSON FILM AWARDS

NOMINATED

L.A. INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS

BEST NARRATIVE SHORT

BEST SHORT COMEDY

BEST ACTRESS

HONORABLE MENTION

NIGHT OF COMEDY SHORTS 2024

Milan, Italy

BFFR screening at Festival Oberursel, Germany below

(It's remarkable to see BFFR with German Subtitiles)

The film continues to screen globally and the Europeans really get it. Erika’s training in her native Sweden, with its rich history of theatre, film, and the masterpieces of Ingmar Bergman, infuses every ounce of this screenplay and her directorial style.   

We need each other in this world, we need art to comprehend our humanity, and we need cinema to share these stories together, bigger-than-life and without distraction, so we can let the journey move us & shift our perspective. 

Imagine what this short will become when we make the feature film!

Let me know if you can help us make that happen.  

Follow @bffrthefilm on Instagram, Twitter/X and Facebook and support the team: 

See Sharon in:

(above: Sharon with Kevin Hart and the director John Hamburg [center in mask] in the background)

ME TIME held the top spot as the #1 Movie on NETFLIX

in the U.S. for 12 Days & the #1 Movie in Mexico for 7 Days.

THE PORTRAIT

To complement the theme of balance, there’s the ever-present notion of Time, and what better way to visualize it than in the growth of children?
While filtering through “The Death That Awaits” photos, I was surprised to see how much Claire and Beckett have grown since March ’22.
While the music’s playing, let’s dance.  

Next month, I'll share highlights of The RipTonze first 3-set gig at The Warehouse on the docks of Marina Del Rey, complete with yachts in view, on September 21st.  We’re booked again for January 2025, so please join us! We had a blast, and I can’t wait to perform there again. In the meantime, we’re playing a Veteran’s Day mini-show in Manhattan Beach on November 8th at 1pm and likely a benefit gig at VeniceWest as well. I’ll keep you posted!

Warmly,

Sharon

REPRESENTATION