Janell Shirtcliff (born 1982 or 1983) is an American filmmaker, photographer, and music video director. She also worked as a model for a decade, and as an actor for which she has been praised. She made her film directorial debut with 2021's Habit. Her photography has been featured in publications including Variety,[2][3]Billboard,[4]Nylon,[5][6][7] and Teen Vogue.[8]
Shirtcliff first got into photography when she started shooting images for her online store Lonelydot, through which she sells vintage clothes.[1] She photographed Phoebe Bridgers for a cover story in Variety in 2021.[13][2]
Film
Shirtcliff made her feature directorial debut with the 2021 film Habit, which she also cowrote with her childhood best friend Libby Mintz.[14] The film is set in Los Angeles and stars Bella Thorne as a party girl from Corpus Christi and Paris Jackson as Jesus.[14][15] The film was negatively received, accruing a 6% score on Rotten Tomatoes from 16 critics,[16] including The Guardian's Leslie Felperin who called the film a "John Waters wannabe".[17] The film also generated controversy, including a petition to block the film's release with nearly 300,000 signatures claiming that the film was Christianophobic because Jackson's Jesus was portrayed as a lesbian, though the film's promotional materials and logline did not indicate the claim was true.[15] A second petition started by One Million Moms gained over 70,000 signatures, calling the film "sacrilegious".[18]Gavin Rossdale, who plays a drug dealer named Eric in the film, praised Shirtcliff and said they built a great rapport with each other.[19]
Shirtcliff directed the documentary film Mother of the Dawn, about Vale do Amanhecer founder Tia Neiva. She first discovered Neiva from a photo while browsing online, and was inspired by the image. She pitched the idea of the documentary to producer Tommy Savas.[20]Mother of the Dawn premiered at the Rollins Theatre in Austin, Texas, as part of the 2022 South by Southwest festival's Documentary Shorts Competition.[20][21]
Shirtcliff is set to direct another film called The Edge of Nowhere, also featuring Rossdale.[19]
Other work
Prior to her photography career, Shirtcliff worked as a model for ten years, posing for companies including Levi's and Urban Outfitters.[1]
Shirtcliff appeared as an actor in the music video for Katy Perry's 2013 single "Unconditionally", directed by Aya Tanimura.[22] She also acted in the film Dirty Old Town alongside Billy Leroy,[23] for which Variety's Andrew Barker said hers was the standout performance.[24]
Personal life
Shirtcliff lives in Corpus Christi, Texas, having lived in the Texas Coastal Bend region since moving from California at age 12.[14] She has two children, one of whom is a son named Bowie.[1][14] As of November 2014, Shirtcliff was engaged to Youngblood Hawke singer Sam Martin.[1]
Notes
^In an interview with Elle from 2014, Shirtcliff was referred to as a 31-year-old.[1]
^"Tashaki Miyaki、最新MV「Anyone But You」を公開" [Tashaki Miyaki and the latest MV "Anyone But You" released]. Uncanny (in Japanese). June 23, 2017. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
