Jessie Barr is an award-winning filmmaker and Sundance Fellow based in Los Angeles. She is a writer, director, actor, and producer with a background in independent film and theater. Her naturalistic approach to storytelling is intimate and deeply humanistic. Variety called her critically acclaimed, award-winning debut feature, SOPHIE JONES “A poignant exploration rooted in staggering authenticity. A fully realized portrait of grief that’s universal in its texture.” The Playlist called the film “coming-of-age at its best. A quiet, brilliant film.” SOPHIE JONES, which she directed, co-wrote and produced, premiered in competition at the 2020 Deauville Film Festival. The film won Best Feature Film (NEXT Section) at the Americana Film Festival 2022 (Barcelona, Spain), screened in competition at Mar del Plata 2020, and was released by Oscilloscope Laboratories in 2021. SOPHIE JONES is executive produced by Nicole Holofcener. The film holds a 100% rating on RottenTomatoes and is streaming on Showtime.
Jessie was a 2021 Sundance Episodic Lab fellow with her series FANTASIA FOR YOU, which she co-created. The series went on to be developed with Warner Brothers Television and Tall Baby Productions. As a writer/director and actor, her work has been lauded at film festivals around the world, including Tribeca and Berlinale. She can be seen next co-starring in THE BETA TEST from IFC Films. Jessie is a PEN America Writer’s Grant Recipient (2020) and Oregon Made Film Grant Recipient (2019). She has been featured by Variety, the National Board of Review, and TalkHouse. She is also a guest lecturer on Sensual Cinema and the erotic as power. She is a proud member of Film Fatales the nonprofit that advocates for gender parity in film and television and writes about cinema and culture weekly via her substack, Give Me More.
Jessie is attached to direct COME AS YOU ARE, written by Academy Award nominee, Zach Baylin. She is currently writing her sophomore feature which she will also direct and is in development on multiple Television projects.