Actor/writer Jess Sharples and director/producer Sam Miller on their short film “Hostile Exchange”

by Rebecca Martin

March 18, 2024

2 min read

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Cinema Femme had the opportunity to speak with actor/writer Jessica Sharples and producer/director Sam Miller about their short film “Hostile Exchange.”

Support their project here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-femaleled-short-film-hostile-exchange

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Shoots and Ladders Productions Announces Gripping Short Film Hostile Exchange 

Los Angeles, CA (March 6, 2024) – Shoots and Ladders Productions is thrilled to announce the development of the thought-provoking short film, Hostile Exchange, written by award-winning writer Jessica Sharples and directed/produced by Sam Miller. 

The film stars Sharples as the lead alongside Joseph Kidawski. Shooting is slated for April or May in and around Los Angeles. 

Hostile Exchange delves into the complexities of the Woman Experience. It explores an often-ignored dynamic, in which women unintentionally give away parts of themselves in relationships, and champions women who reclaim their power at any cost. Immersed in the desert imagery and freedom themes of American Westerns, this compelling story involves a hilarious twist that makes the film both impactful and sidesplitting. 

Sharples, both writer and lead female actor, is no stranger to the Short Film World. Her first film, Jen, 28, created awareness around the misinterpreted “gray area” of sexual assault. It was a massive success that won 14 awards and screened at 35 film festivals across the world during the 2021-2022 festival circuit. 

Sharples states: “This new film shines a light on another common experience as a woman. It’s about the subtle ways women can be conditioned to prioritize the needs of others over their own. Hostile Exchange empowers audiences to recognize these dynamics and reclaim their agency.” 

Director and producer Miller adds: “Hostile Exchange is about fear and laughter – an all-too-common female experience and our antidote for it, respectively. We are thrilled to create a film that sheds light on critical themes of self-assurance and strength, sends our audience on a rollercoaster of emotion, and dazzles the ears and eyes.” 

Shoots and Ladders Productions is a Los Angeles-based creative company dedicated to amplifying unheard voices, achieving artistic excellence, and elevating powerful thematic stories. 

Stay tuned for further updates on Hostile Exchange. 

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Contact: 

Jessica Sharples 

jessicasharples.contact@gmail.com 

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Rebecca Martin

Rebecca Martin is the Managing Editor of Cinema Femme magazine and the Festival Director of Cinema Femme Short Film Fest. She founded her publication in 2018 because she wanted to create a platform for female voices in the film community. She has hosted film screenings in Chicago, led virtual panel discussions, Q&As, is the Cinema Femme Short Films Director, and has covered festivals like the Chicago International Film Festival, Sundance, Tribeca, and the Bentonville Film Festival.

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