JOHN IRA PALMER

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JOHN IRA PALMER

Hello. I’m a producer and director. I’m a founding partner and producer at Projected Picture Works, alongside Sean Penn and John Wildermuth.

I produced BLACK FLIES (directed by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire and starring Sean Penn and Tye Sheridan, Cannes 2023 – In Competition), and the upcoming SEPTEMBER 5 (directed by Tim Fehlbaum). I also served as a production executive on Projected Picture Works titles including SUPERPOWER (Berlinale Special Gala – Documentary, 2023) and DADDIO (directed by Christy Hall and starring Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn, Toronto 2023). I co-produced FLAG DAY (directed by Sean Penn and starring Dylan Penn and Sean Penn, Cannes 2021 – In Competition), produced the documentary AL IMAM (Vimeo Staff Pick, National Geographic release, KCET Fine Cut winner), co-produced THE DARE PROJECT (directed by Adam Salky, Frameline 2018, Outfest 2018, follow-up to the beloved queer short DARE), and was associate producer for CONTRA-INTERNET: JUBILEE 2033 (directed by Zach Blas, Berlinale 2018). I also teach producing in the graduate programs at USC School of Cinematic Arts and AFI Conservatory.

As a director, my most recent project is OUT OF THE CORNER OF OUR EYE (winner of the Audience Award for Best Platinum Short, Outfest 2023), funded by National Endowment for the Arts and commissioned by SCI-Arc Channel for their Queer Perspectives series. I also directed the short film ELWOOD TAKES A LOVER, which screened at festivals around the world and was an official selection of The American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. My experimental short films have been shown at festivals and venues such as Outfest, Frameline, REDCAT, Blum & Poe, and Pacific Film Archive.

Past fellowships and residencies include Film at Lincoln Center’s Artist Academy, Echo Park Film Center’s LA AIR program, and AICAD’s New York Studio Program, and awards include the ARRI Emerging Filmmaker Grant, the James Broughton Film Award, and a Princess Grace Award. I have also curated film series and programs for American Cinematheque, Echo Park Film Center, and San Francisco Art Institute, and as a consultant for Sundance’s Documentary Film Program and Concordia Studio I have helped identify the next generation of documentary filmmakers. I earned an MFA in Film & Television Production at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts and a BFA at San Francisco Art Institute. Before attending USC, I spent nearly ten years as a marketing executive and producer at entertainment-focused creative agencies, heading up campaigns for film and television titles from the major studios and networks.

Outside of filmmaking, community-based service has been a lifelong passion. I served as Chief of Staff to Sean Penn at CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) throughout its response to the Covid-19 pandemic–which included offering vaccines, testing, tracing, and wraparound services throughout the United States and Navajo Nation, as well as Brazil, India, and Haiti–and during its initial months on the ground in Ukraine, Poland, and Romania offering shelter, resources, and services to refugees and those displaced within Ukraine. While a student at USC, I co-founded the Our Voices speaker series as part of the School of Cinematic Arts’ Diversity & Inclusion initiative. The inaugural lineup of speakers included John Singleton, Cheryl Boone-Isaacs, and Andrew Ahn. For over a decade, I also volunteered as a crisis counselor and training mentor for The Trevor Project, dedicated to suicide prevention and crisis intervention for LGBTQ+ youth.

If you’d like to say hello, try email or Instagram. No unsolicited pitch materials or scripts, please.