Life Inside Out

Directed By Jill D'Agnenica

When a mother returns to her musical roots, she rediscovers the passion of her youth, and finds a way to connect with her troubled youngest son.

  • ABOUT
  • BIO
  • SCREENINGS
  • AWARDS
  • PRESS
  • CREDITS
A stressed-out mother unexpectedly bonds with her offbeat son through music and open-mic nights at the local dive. Together they struggle through disappointments and broken heats and unearth their dreams and develop stronger connections to the rest of their loved ones.

A native of Southern California, Jill D’Agnenica grew up escaping into stories in books and on television in the kitchens of her family’s restaurants. She is now an award winning filmmaker and visual artist working in Los Angeles as a director and editor. The Los Angeles Times called LIFE INSIDE OUT, Jill’s directorial debut, “a gentle, poignant drama whose heart and head are squarely in the right place...with tender direction by Jill D’Agnenica.” LIFE INSIDE OUT premiered at the 2013 Heartland Film Festival where it won both the Crystal Heart Award for Narrative Feature and Best Premiere. It went on to screen at 21 festivals, receiving 16 awards. Jill has since directed a series of PSAs for the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, music and art videos, and her first episode of television on Freeform’s SWITCHED AT BIRTH. Her tragi-comic absurdist short, A DOG’S STORY, is currently making the festival rounds. As an editor, Jill has crafted over 80 hours of prime-time television on shows including the new PARTY OF FIVE (Freeform), HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER (ABC), LUCIFER (Fox), PRETTY LITTLE LIARS (Freeform), SWITCHED AT BIRTH (Freeform), and UNDERCOVERS (NBC). Jill holds a BA in History from UCLA and an MFA in Visual Art from Claremont Graduate University. She enjoys opportunities to contribute as a guest lecturer, panelist, and mentor to fellow filmmakers and artists.

Heartland Film Festival 2013

Cleveland Film Festival 2014

Phoenix Film Festival 2014

Laemmle Playhouse, Royal, No Ho 2014

Quad Cinema, New York 2015

Heartland Film Festival 2013 - Crystal Heart Award for Narrative Feature and Best Premiere

Black Hills Film Festival 2014 - Best Feature

Woods Hole Film Festival 2014 - Directors Award, Best Actor Finneas O'Connell

Blue Whiskey Independent Film Festival 2014 - Best Music Maggie Baird, Finneas O'Connell, Elliott Goldkind (composer)

Phoenix Film Festival 2014 - Audience Award

"“Gentle, poignant drama whose heart and head are squarely in the right place. Engaging, naturalistic performances and nicely explored real-world issues add to this absorbing film's down-to-earth appeal..” “...tender direction by Jill D'Agnenica”"
Los Angeles Times
"“First-time director Jill D’Agnenica lets the open-mic sessions play out at considerable length, and they effectively convey a sense of community among disparate characters who bring varying degrees of artistic yearning and talent to the small stage.”"
The Hollywood Reporter
"“A nuanced, decidedly real portrait of self-discovery and family life that is remarkable not just for its no BS performances (especially by Ms. Baird, and breakout star, Finneas O’Connell) but also for its refreshing lack of melodrama.”"
Brave New Hollywood
"“There’s a true art to coming up with a story that is sweet but not saccharine, sentimental but not cheesy. And Life Inside Out, director Jill D’Agnenica’s narrative film on new beginnings and second acts, treads that line beautifully.”"
New Times San Luis Obisbo
"“D’Agnenica has a tremendous visual eye and frame after frame of Life Inside Out draws you in and refuses to let you go.”"
The Independent Critic

Actor - Maggie Baird

Actor - Finneas O'Connell

Cinematographer - Guido Frenzel

Songs - Finneas O'Connell and Maggie Baird

Writers - Maggie Baird & Lori Nasso