Jim Cliffe is a Canadian

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

and

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...

, with a professional background in

illustration An illustration is a decoration, interpretation or visual explanation of a text, concept or process, designed for integration in print and digital published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, vid ...

and

animation Animation is a method by which image, still figures are manipulated to appear as Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent cel, celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited ...

. His first feature, ''

Donovan's Echo ''Donovan's Echo'' is a 2011 Canadian supernatural suspense film directed by Jim Cliffe and co-written by Jim Cliffe and Melodie Krieger, starring Danny Glover and Bruce Greenwood. Plot Donovan Matheson ( Danny Glover) is a man trapped in the p ...

'', was released in 2012.

Early life

Cliffe was born in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada. He showed strong artistic skills at an early age, and developed his first newspaper published comic strip with his brother Jason at the age of 11. As a kid, Jim's love of movies were often a creative driving force with his art. He also experimented with animation, and made video shorts with his friends, mimicking stunts and sequences from some of his favorite movies.

Career

Professionally, Jim's career has primarily been in the arts - illustration, design and animation - as the idea of becoming a movie director didn't really seem like a tangible goal to him. In 2005, Jim's first professional short film noir Tomorrow's Memoir gained attention after winning 'Best Comics-Oriented Film' at the

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is co ...

. At 27-minutes in length, ''Tomorrow's Memoir'' screened at several festivals, and would also go on to become an online hit within the comic community following its launch on the now retired ifilm. The short film also garnered rave reviews from

Film Threat ''Film Threat'' is an online film review publication, and earlier, a national magazine that focused primarily on independent film, although it also reviewed videos and DVDs of mainstream films, as well as Hollywood movies in theaters. It first ...

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

, Moviehole, and others. In 2007, Jim's first feature-length screenplay, ' Donovan’s Echo' (co-written by Cliffe and his wife Melodie Krieger) won the Bronze Award in the PAGE International Screenwriting Awards and made quarter-finalist in the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motio ...

' Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting. ''Donovan's Echo'' went into production in late 2010 on a modest budget of "around $3M", with Cliffe attached as director. Starring

Danny Glover Danny Lebern Glover (; born July 22, 1946) is an American actor, film director, and political activist. He is widely known for his lead role as Roger Murtaugh in the ''Lethal Weapon'' film series. He also had leading roles in his films include ...

and Bruce Greenwood, the movie premiered in

Sudbury Sudbury may refer to: Places Australia * Sudbury Reef, Queensland Canada * Greater Sudbury, Ontario (official name; the city continues to be known simply as Sudbury for most purposes) ** Sudbury (electoral district), one of the city's federal e ...

, Ontario's Cinéfest in September 2011, and was the opening film at the Calgary International Film Festival that same month. ''Donovan's Echo'' had a limited theatrical release across Canada in February, 2012. The ''Toronto Film Scenes William Brownridge wrote, "With such an interesting mystery, great performances, and themes of hope and acceptance, ''Donovan's Echo'' is a great debut for Jim Cliffe". Similarly, David Voigt of ''The Toronto Examiner'' added in his review, "For a debut feature, Cliffe shows real skill as a solid storyteller with an eye for casting as well." ''Donovan's Echo'' was released on DVD, Blu-ray and digital download in Canada in September 2012 by Anchor Bay Entertainment, and will be coming to the U.S. in May 2013. Jim has also directed for television, including the rom-com movie "The Loving Spoonful" (2022), "Rancher 101" (2022), and the upcoming "Been There All Along". Cliffe's second feature film as write/director is in development with Minds Eye Entertainment, inspired by the events of Roswell and Project Blue Book.

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cliffe, Jim Canadian animated film directors Canadian comics artists Living people Year of birth missing (living people)