Jalena Keane-Lee is a social justice filmmaker and the spring 2018 Sally Burns Shenkman Woman Filmmaker Fellow.
Her work has addressed issues such as indigenous land rights, destigmatizing menstruation, the importance of campus activism, and the meaning of consent.
Jalena co-founded
Breaktide Productions, a production company run by women of color dedicated to democratizing filmmaking by making content that elevates underrepresented voices on camera and behind the scenes. Her first documentary short,
The Construct: Female Laborers and the Fight for Equality follows Burmese female laborers as they physically develop a country that is rapidly changing. The short was selected for streaming on Seed&Spark’s “Fight for Your Rights” playlist, and has begun its festival run at the Portland Film Festival, and Seattle Asian American Film Festival.
Additionally, Jalena has Directed a short Czech language film on 16mm, a spec pilot with an all-woman of color cast and crew, and partnered with non-profits to amplify their work. Jalena is currently a 2018 Sally Burns Shenkman Woman Filmmaker Fellow at the Jacob Burns Film Center, which has supported shorts that have premiered at SXSW, HotDocs, and Sundance. Her writing has been featured in Seventeen Magazine, The Tempest and NBC.com, and she has made films that highlight the importance of campus activism, a woman of color running for office, and destigmatizing menstruation.
Head to the Storytelling tab to see how Jalena uses documentary, narrative, advocacy, writing, and art to tell compelling stories that spark social change.