Sherman De Jesus was born on December 11, 1947, in Willemstad, Curaçao, one of the Dutch Caribbean islands. He relocated to the Netherlands in 1970, where he pursued his higher education in law at Utrecht University. Prior to that, he received his formal film education while working as a producer-director for the Film Department of Radio Nederland World Service, where he produced numerous documentaries and educational programs starting in the 1970s.
In 1981, De Jesus was one of the founding members of the Dutch Filmdays in Utrecht and went on to become the first director of this national film festival. He also launched the first Dutch Film Market in the same period. In 1985, he served as a member of the Jury for the Grand Prix of the Dutch Film, also known as the Golden Calf. De Jesus further honed his skills by attending the Film Business School in Madrid, supervised by Jonathan Olsberg, and the master class by István Szabó, as well as Acting for Directors by Judith Weston at the Maurits Binger Film Institute.
De Jesus has been actively involved in various film-related organizations, including being a member of the steering group for the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam and a board member of the Dutch Fund for the Promotion of Cultural Broadcasting since 2000.
In 1988, De Jesus began producing documentaries for Dutch Television, in addition to writing scripts and producing feature films. He later joined forces with producer Cécile van Eijk to establish Memphis Film & Television in 1992. This production company has been operating since and focuses on developing and producing high-quality feature films, international documentaries, television programs, corporate videos, and educational films for theatrical and television release, as well as worldwide distribution.
Under the banner of Memphis Film & Television, De Jesus has directed and produced numerous award-winning films, including Daddy's Little Girl, Joy Meal, All is Light, Boy Ecury, Honey, and Souls Of Naples, which was the Dutch submission for the Academy Award for Best Short Film in 2005.
In 2005, Memphis Film & Television completed three productions: Souls Of Naples, a cinematographic journey through the city of Naples, co-produced with Ikon; Jan Schoonhoven - Official 18977, an intimate portrait of Holland's most important artist, co-produced with VPRO; and Abortion - Right or Wrong, stories about abortion in the year 2005.
De Jesus is currently developing several projects, including Tulip Time, the story of the popular all-girl band Trio Lescano under Italian fascism, to be directed by Marco de Stefanis and Tonino Boniotti; Illiteracy, to be directed by Chris Westendorp and Izaline Calister; and Boeroes, as well as several documentaries and feature films.
