Jilena was born in Canada shortly after her mother immigrated from Italy. By the time she graduated high school at 16, she had lived in France, Italy, Belgium and was fluent in a few languages. She got her degree in Political Science from UBC and McGill, then did a post grad year at the University of Florence, Italy.
She was briefly married to Mark White, bass player of the popular NYC alternative rock band "The Spin Doctors", which transplanted her to New York where she worked in publishing and first studied acting at The William Esper Studio in 1998. Back in Vancouver, she landed the lead role in several short films and an indie feature "Angelica". A short film she wrote and starred in "PetsRUs" headlined the first Vancouver International Short Film Festival. She moved to Los Angeles in 2003 to pursue a career in screenwriting. She was able to learn from some of her heroes in person like Gary Ross, Aaron Sorkin and William Goldman. A few of her features were optioned and in 2005, "Paper Moon Affair" - was produced earning her a Leo nomination for "Best Screenwriting in a Feature Length Drama". She later won a short script competition through the Whistler Film Festival.
She currently lives in Vancouver, Canada with her husband and two children and continues to act and write.
Paper Moon Affair(2005)
Surf Bay Côte Ouest(2026)as Erika
The Hunting Party(2025)as Tracy Miller
Wild Cards(2024)as Mrs. Pallione
Wild Goat Surf(2023)as Pam
Lucky Hank(2023)as Clara
First Wave(1998)