Jilena was born in Canada shortly after her mother, an immigrant from Italy, made Canada her new home. By the time Jilena graduated from high school at the remarkable age of 16, she had already experienced a diverse upbringing, having lived in France, Italy, and Belgium, and had become fluent in multiple languages. Her academic journey took her to the University of British Columbia (UBC) and McGill, where she earned a degree in Political Science. She furthered her education by completing a post-graduate year at the prestigious University of Florence in Italy.
Jilena's personal life took an unexpected turn when she briefly married Mark White, the talented bass player of the popular NYC alternative rock band "The Spin Doctors". This led to her relocation to New York, where she worked in publishing and began studying acting at The William Esper Studio in 1998.
Returning to Vancouver, Jilena landed the lead role in several short films and an indie feature titled "Angelica". She also wrote and starred in the short film "PetsRUs", which became the headlining feature at the first Vancouver International Short Film Festival. In 2003, Jilena made the bold decision to relocate to Los Angeles to pursue a career in screenwriting.
While in Los Angeles, Jilena had the opportunity to learn from some of her idols, including Gary Ross, Aaron Sorkin, and William Goldman. A few of her feature screenplays were optioned, and in 2005, her screenplay "Paper Moon Affair" was produced, earning her a Leo nomination for "Best Screenwriting in a Feature Length Drama". Jilena's success continued when she won a short script competition through the Whistler Film Festival.
Today, Jilena resides in Vancouver, Canada with her husband and two children, and continues to pursue her passions in both acting and screenwriting.
