'A Separate Life'
Jillian O'Neil of Mars, known as Jill Pergl to family and friends in Butler County, has just returned from the Cannes Film Festival, one of the top entertainment events of the year, held May 10 to 21 in Cannes, France.
O'Neil was there to promote her short film titled, “A Separate Life.” Her production company, Wright Road Productions, is designed for features, shorts, commercials and documentaries.
“It was really surreal, like an out-of-body experience,” she said of her red carpet trip. “I couldn't believe all of the people who come to these festivals to support all of the films.”
“A Separate Life” now has been seen by the industry's top buyers as well as international celebrities. O'Neil met with television distributors from countries all over the world who purchase the films for broadcast.
As a result of those deals, the film will be available through AT&T On Demand, Direct TV and Apple iTunes. A future screening locally also will be scheduled.
The 23-minute short film is the emotional story of the reunion between separated family members who have gathered after the passing of their father. The story unfolds the feelings of hurt and forgiveness as well as a sense of finding peace from a past love.
O'Neil is not only the director of this film but also has the leading role performing beside veteran actor Patrick Gorman (“Gods and Generals,” “Gettysburg”) as well as actor and songwriter Nigel Casey.
O'Neil started out in the entertainment industry as a dancer and singer, which landed her a spot as a child performer in the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera Mini Stars.
After attending Point Park University, she was offered a job as part of the cast of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical “Starlight Express” in Bochum, Germany. She performed with the show in Germany for five years before traveling to Las Vegas to continue the show as one of the principal performers.After a career on stage, she turned her sights to the film and television side of the entertainment business. She has numerous credits in television, short films, commercials and feature films.And O'Neil has now written the feature-length film version of her short “A Separate Life,” which is in preproduction and will be shot in Butler County. She returned to this area after living in Los Angeles to run her film business because she said she believes there is no better place to make films.
