Portrait by Ryan Booth
Born in Texas and raised in New Mexico, Sheridan O’Donnell is a Korean-American filmmaker based in Los Angeles. As a creator, his work is known for exploring family, identity, and human connection through character-driven narratives that seamlessly balance catharsis and humor.
O’Donnell recently made waves with his directorial debut, Little Brother, which stars JK Simmons, Daniel Diemer (The Half of It), and Philip Ettinger (First Reformed), and took home the Audience Award at the 2023 Atlanta Film Festival. The film was inspired by his personal experiences with mental health and suicide, and follows Jake (Diemer) as he drives his older brother (Ettinger) across the American West after his most recent suicide attempt. Along the way, the two struggle to reconcile past traumas and forge a new bond.
O’Donnell was selected as part of Inevitable Foundation’s Winter 2022 Elevate Collective Cohort for disabled writers and was a fellow of the RespectAbility Lab, highlighting him as a dynamic voice in a new generation of diverse storytellers.
O’Donnell is currently directing a feature-length documentary as a follow-up to the Emmy Award-winning film Rising Phoenix. The new film, working titled Rising Phoenix: A New Revolution, is produced in partnership with Harder Than You Think and P&G Studios.
In the film, O’Donnell will chronicle his own story as a disabled filmmaker and profile an international cast of entertainers, athletes, activists, and world leaders—in hopes of igniting a global conversation surrounding the disability movement. The film is being co-produced by Ventureland and its production team includes Academy Award winning Producer John Battsek (The Rescue, WHAM!), HTYT President and Founder Greg Nugent, Producers Barnaby Spurrier and Sarah Thomson (The Deepest Breath), as well as Jim Lebrecht (Crip Camp) as Executive Producer.
O’Donnell is represented by CAA, Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment, and Whalar Talent.