Jessica M. Thompson is an Australian film and television writer, director, editor, and producer. She lives in Los Angeles.[1]
Early life and education
editThompson grew up in the Western Suburbs of Sydney, Australia and is of partial Maltese heritage. Thompson studied at the Sydney Theatre Company[2][3] and University of Technology Sydney, where she received a B.A. in Media Arts and Production.[4]
Career
editThompson worked as a film editor in Sydney, before moving to New York City in 2010, where she founded Stedfast Productions.[2] She edited Cheryl Furjanic's documentary, Back on Board, which premiered on HBO in August 2015[5] and was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2016.[6] Thompson has also worked as a film editor with filmmakers Liz Garbus and Edet Belzberg.[7]
Thompson made her feature writing and directorial debut with The Light of the Moon (2017), starring Stephanie Beatriz, Michael Stahl-David, and Conrad Ricamora. It had its premiere at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival[8] in March 2017, where it won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature Film.[9] Critics called the film "harrowingly effective" (Variety),[10] "honest and complex" (The Hollywood Reporter),[11] and Film Inquiry stated that, “For any filmmaker this would be an unmitigated triumph, but for a first time filmmaker this is revelatory.”[12] The Light of the Moon had a limited North American theatrical release in November–December 2017.[13] The film has a 97% score on review-aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.[14]
Thompson was the lead director on Showtime's ten-part television series The End (2020), starring Harriet Walter and Frances O'Connor,[15] produced by the Academy-Award-winning, See-Saw Films.[16]
In 2022, Thompson directed her second feature film, The Invitation, a Sony Pictures horror-thriller starring Nathalie Emmanuel, and written by Blair Butler.[17] It was released in cinemas worldwide on August 26, 2022 and was the top grossing film at the box office that weekend.[18] The film debuted at #2 on the Netflix charts on December 24, 2022[19][20] with over 664 million minutes viewed on the platform in one week.[21]
Personal life
editIn 2010, Thompson moved from Sydney, Australia to Brooklyn, New York. She lived in the Williamsburg neighborhood[22] for more than eight years before moving to Los Angeles, California.
Filmography
editShort film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Editor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Hike | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Percepio | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||
| 2012 | Three | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2013 | Across the Pond | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Feature film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Editor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | The Light of the Moon | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Role: Waitress |
| 2022 | The Invitation | Yes | No | No | No |
Television
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | The End | 6 episodes |
Other credits
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 419 | Associate Producer | |
| Love, Marilyn | Associate editor and production manager | Documentary film | |
| 2013 | The Abominable Crime | Additional editor | |
| 2014 | Watchers of the Sky | ||
| Back on Board: Greg Louganis | Editor |
References
edit- ^ "Jessica Thompson". Big Vision Empty Wallet. Archived from the original on 3 March 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
- ^ a b Palmer, Colby. "Cinefemme: The Art and Soul of Filmmaking". Cinefemme. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
- ^ Allen, Joseph (11 March 2017). "SXSW 2017 Women Directors: Jessica M. Thompson— "The Light of the Moon"". Women and Hollywood. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
- ^ "UTS Alumni selected to premiere work at SXSW Film Festival in the USA | UTS News Room". newsroom.uts.edu.au. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
- ^ "'Back on Board: Greg Louganis': Outfest Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
- ^ "THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES ANNOUNCES THE NOMINEES FOR THE 37th ANNUAL SPORTS EMMY® AWARDS | The Emmy Awards - The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences". emmyonline.com. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
- ^ Nieporent, Ben. "eFilmCritic - SxSW 2017 Interview: THE LIGHT OF THE MOON director Jessica M. Thompson". www.efilmcritic.com. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- ^ "The Light of The Moon". SXSW 2017 Schedule. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
- ^ Evans, Greg (18 March 2017). "SXSW Audiences Give Top Honors To 'Light Of The Moon', 'Baby Driver', 'Dealt'". Deadline. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
- ^ Barker, Andrew (13 March 2017). "Film Review: 'The Light of the Moon'". Variety. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
- ^ Felperin, Leslie. "'The Light of the Moon': Film Review | SXSW 2017". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
- ^ Morris, Ryan (30 October 2017). "THE LIGHT OF THE MOON: A Stunning Foray Into A Sensitive Subject". Film Inquiry. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
- ^ "SXSW Winner 'The Light of the Moon' Picked Up by Imagination Worldwide (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
- ^ The Light of the Moon (2017), retrieved 15 January 2020
- ^ Barraclough, Leo (26 September 2018). "Sky, Foxtel Order 'The End,' Starring Harriet Walter, Frances O'Connor". Variety. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
- ^ Kilday, Gregg (27 February 2011). "'The King's Speech' Reigns at Oscars". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
- ^ The Invitation (2022) - IMDb, retrieved 29 September 2023
- ^ Rubin, Rebecca (28 August 2022). "'The Invitation' Tops Box Office With $7 Million in Catastrophically Slow Weekend". Variety. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
- ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
- ^ Moore, Kasey (13 December 2022). "'The Invitation' To Release on Netflix in December 2022". What's on Netflix. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
- ^ Porter, Rick (27 January 2023). "'Glass Onion,' 'Yellowstone' Close 2022 With Big Streaming Weeks". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ "Eye For Film: Tropfest: New York - Part Two". www.eyeforfilm.co.uk. Retrieved 18 May 2017.