Biography
Jilmil is an Assamese Indian American filmmaker and alumni from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. She has had extensive experience in the art department as a production designer, art director, set dresser, graphic artist, and hero prop sculptor. Across her work includes several short films, television shows, and independent films.
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From a young age, her primary passion has been Kathak, a classical North Indian dance form that she has been trained in since she was five years old. In Sanskrit, the word “Kathak” translates to “a storyteller”, as the Kathak dancer must tell stories through their expressions, gesture, technique, and attention to subtlety. Through Kathak, Jilmil developed a love for storytelling at a young age which quickly evolved into her passion for film.
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Upon her acceptance into USC, she decided to pursue film in honor of her late grandfather, Dr. Bhabendra Nath Saikia, who was a renowned Assamese novelist and filmmaker. While studying at USC, she became deeply inspired by the works of Guillermo del Toro and quickly found that she had a love for production design and creating atmosphere and character through world building.
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The understanding of subtle detailing and movement from her Kathak training, her extensive background in sculpture and painting, and her ongoing experience with interior design all help to bring a unique flair to her visual designs and craftsmanship.
“In each of my projects, the approach is unique but with the same goal in mind. I want the production design to breathe, crawl, and creep in a way that makes the world feel alive and ‘lived in’. A character in it of itself. The colors, textures, prop, set dressing, the blocking of space within a frame; it all helps contribute to the atmosphere and credibility of the story and performance. Because, though the film begins with the actors on screen, the responsibility of the production designer is to humbly tell the story of the world that existed before that. And if we look at that first frame carefully enough, there’s character sitting in everything: what they choose to keep on their night stand, how they may have cleaned up yesterday night’s dinner, or even the way they left their shoes at the front door. Production design is a living, breathing detail and an incredible collaboration across all departments at its best.”
Artist Statement
Background Work
Sculpture Work - 2ft length blue whale - polymer clay
Though we are a beautiful chaos shaped by sheer mishappenstance, the artist's ink dances blithely