Biography - Sean Francis Ellis

Born in Sydney on September 23rd, 1971, Sean spent his childhood in Melbourne, Sydney and New Zealand, before moving to Hong Kong with his family as a teenager.  Inspired by science-fiction TV shows and movies as a child, Sean began making films at age 11, when his parents gave him a Super-8 movie camera and editing equipment.

As he entered the sixth grade, Sean began teaching himself the process of making movies: writing, shooting, directing and editing Action or Science-Fiction mini-epics on weekends.  While attending High School in Hong Kong, Sean completed a 25-minute film called “Hong Kong Hookie”, which featured his brother in numerous skateboard chase sequences.  The film helped secure Sean's place in the three-year full-time program at the Victorian College of the Arts - School of Film & Television, in Melbourne (1991 - 1993).

During the course, Sean wrote, directed and edited several short films, using 16mm film equipment. Each year, students completed a major project for assessment, whilst crewing on fellow students films.  Sean's films included: “The Courier” (1991, 12 minutes), “Edward's Quest” (1992, 15 minutes) and “Believers” (1993, 17 minutes).

Since graduating in 1993, Sean has worked on a variety of film and television productions, both in Australia and the US, whilst continuing to write and direct his own projects, including music videos, short films and commercials. (Please refer to the CREDITS page for more information).

In 1997, Sean began writing his first feature-length screenplay, “Illustrated Hero”, a Romantic-Thriller about a comic-book artist whose characters take on a life of their own.  In 2001, Sean wrote “The China Club”, a Crime-Thriller about a trendy nightclub where young women are kidnapped for sex-slavery in China.  In 2004, Sean began writing “Claws”, an Action-Adventure Creature-Feature, set in the remote wilderness of the Canadian Yukon.  Sean's most recent screenplay, “The Assistant”, is a Corporate/Political Thriller, set against the backdrop of government privatization. 

In 2006, Sean moved to Los Angeles to work in film and seek producers for his screenplays.  After interning with several production companies in Hollywood, where he assisted in development and research, Sean worked as an assistant for Larger Than Life Productions, on the Universal Studios lot, in 2007.

In 2009, Sean wrote a new draft of “Claws”, and pitched the project to independent producers. The screenplay was a finalist in the Beverly Hills Film Festival Screenplay Competition, in 2010. With the goal of directing “Claws” as his first feature, Sean produced and directed a short film, based on the feature-length script.  The short film, and a two minute teaser, can be viewed HERE.

Sean is based in Los Angeles and Sydney, Australia.