{{Short description|Ethiopian-Mexican filmmaker (born 1988)}} {{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox person | image = Jessica Beshir (2021) A.jpg | caption = Beshir in 2021 | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1988}} | birth_place = Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico | alma_mater = University of California, Los Angeles | occupation = Film director | awards = Guggenheim Fellowship (2024) }} '''Jessica Beshir''' (born 1988) is a Mexican documentary filmmaker. After directing several documentary shorts, she made her feature film debut with ''Faya Dayi'' (2021) which she won several awards for.
==Biography== Jessica Beshir was born in 1988 in Mexico City,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pauchi Sasaki x Jessica Beshir |url=https://www.filmfestival.be/en/festival/25x2/pauchi-sasaki-x-jessica-beshir |access-date=10 January 2025 |website=Film Fest Gent |archive-date=4 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241204123710/https://www.filmfestival.be/en/festival/25x2/pauchi-sasaki-x-jessica-beshir |url-status=live }}</ref> the daughter of a Mexican mother and an Ethiopian father who was studying medicine in the country.<ref name="Festival Kit">{{Cite web |date=10 August 2022 |title=Interview With Jessica Beshir on FAYA DAYI - |url=https://festivalkit.net/interview-with-jessica-beshir-on-faya-dayi/ |access-date=9 August 2024 |website=Festival Kit}}</ref> Due to the government calling for the repatriation of the diaspora following the Ethiopian Civil War, her father brought the family to Harar, Ethiopia, where Beshir grew up, and worked as a surgeon in the country.<ref name="Festival Kit" /> When she was about sixteen,<ref name="eyeforfilm">{{Cite web |last=Wilkinson |first=Amber |date=16 February 2021 |title=Interview with Jessica Bashir about Faya Dayi |url=https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/feature/2021-02-16-interview-with-jessica-bashir-about-faya-dayi-feature-story-by-amber-wilkinson |access-date=10 January 2025 |website=www.eyeforfilm.co.uk |archive-date=22 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241222112732/https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/feature/2021-02-16-interview-with-jessica-bashir-about-faya-dayi-feature-story-by-amber-wilkinson |url-status=live }}</ref> the family fled Ethiopia and returned to Mexico when her father got a scholarship.<ref name="Festival Kit" /> She obtained her BA in film studies and literature from the University of California, Los Angeles.<ref name="africanfilmny"/> Jessica is based in Brooklyn, NY.
Her documentary short film ''He Who Dances on Wood'' (2016) is about a man, Fred Nelson, who practices tap dancing on a block of wood in a tunnel in Prospect Park, an urban park in Brooklyn.<ref name="angelusnews">{{Cite news |first=Heather |last=King |date=1 September 2023 |title='He Who Dances on Wood' and finding yourself |url=https://angelusnews.com/voices/dances-on-wood-documentary/ |access-date=10 January 2025}}</ref> In 2017, the film was awarded Best Documentary Short at the Edmonton International Film Festival and the Jury Award at the Anchorage International Film Festival.<ref name="africanfilmny">{{Cite web |title=Beshir, Jessica |url=https://africanfilmny.org/directors/jessica-beshir/ |access-date=10 January 2025 |website=African Film Festival, Inc.}}</ref> Her documentary short ''Hairat'' (2017) is about Abba Yussuf, the "Hyena Man of Harar" who came to international attention through the documentary series ''Planet Earth II.''<ref name="hairat">{{Cite web |last=Wilkinson |first=Amber |date=27 March 2017 |title=Hairat (2016) Movie Review from Eye for Film |url=https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/hairat-2016-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson |access-date=10 January 2025 |website=Eye for Film}}</ref> ''Hairat'' premiered at the Sundance Film Festival,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Jessica Beshir |url=https://iffr.com/en/person/jessica-beshir |access-date=9 August 2024 |website=IFFR EN}}</ref> and it was shown at the 2018 Garden State Film Festival.<ref name="hairat" />
In 2021, she made her feature film directorial debut with ''Faya Dayi''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Carey |first=Matthew |date=6 April 2021 |title=Janus Films Takes North American Rights To 'Faya Dayi', “Gorgeously Cinematic” Doc From Director Jessica Beshir |url=https://deadline.com/2021/04/janus-films-acquires-rights-faya-dayi-documentary-jessica-beshir-news-1234728839/ |access-date=10 January 2025 |website=Deadline Hollywood |archive-date=10 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250110203532/https://deadline.com/2021/04/janus-films-acquires-rights-faya-dayi-documentary-jessica-beshir-news-1234728839/ |url-status=live }}</ref> She says "Me and the making of this film were one. It taught me about who I was. Nobody was interested in doing it [with me]. I realized I am the one who needs to do it, so I better learn how to use a camera, and I better learn how to produce. It was a call to develop myself, and in reconnecting with this land that I had left for a long time, I came to learn its history, and came to learn and listen to what the communities were talking about and to understand the struggles they were grappling with at the moment, especially politically."<ref>{{Cite web |title=An Evening with Faya dayi Director Jessica Beshir |url=https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/7636-an-evening-with-faya-dayi-director-jessica-beshir?srsltid=AfmBOoo0SUwMEk55P7oRRjTIYHiFaLHji2B9LE3X6zOrEEcGlZUzp_GX |access-date=2025-04-16 |website=The Criterion Collection |language=en}}</ref> The complexity of the human experience is explored and underrepresented perspectives are frequently highlighted in Jessica Beshir's work. She uses a lyrical visual language in her films to elicit strong emotional reactions from her viewers. Focusing on topics like migration, family, and cultural legacy, Beshir's documentaries offer a complex look at the lives of people who are frequently underrepresented in the media. She won an American Society of Cinematographers Documentary Award,<ref name="Pedersen 2022"/> the Independent Spirit Awards Truer Than Fiction Award,<ref name="Variety 2022"/> and two Visions du Réel awards for the film,<ref name="variety 1234959647"/> which was also shortlisted for Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film<ref name="oscars"/> and aired on ''POV'' on 29 August 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Faya Dayi |url=https://www.pbs.org/pov/films/fayadayi/ |access-date=10 January 2025 |website=POV |publisher=PBS}}</ref> In 2024, she was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in Film and Video.<ref>{{Cite web |title=MEET OUR 2024 FELLOWS |url=https://www.gf.org/announcements/ |access-date=10 January 2025 |website=John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation |archive-date=15 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240515223904/https://www.gf.org/announcements/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Jane Steiner Hoffman and Michael Hoffman donated funds for Jessica Beshir to be a 2024 Hoffman Visiting Artist for Documentary Media, a brief filmmaker residency at Northwestern's School of Communications.<ref>{{Cite web |title=FAYA DAYI (2021) with filmmaker Jessica Beshir: Block Museum - Northwestern University |url=https://www.blockmuseum.northwestern.edu/cinema/2024/faya-dayi-2021-with-filmmaker-jessica-beshir.html |access-date=2025-04-16 |website=www.blockmuseum.northwestern.edu |language=en}}</ref>
Beshir lives in Brooklyn.<ref name="eyeforfilm"/>
== Filmography == {| class="wikitable" ! Year !! Work !! Note !! Ref |- | 2016 || ''He Who Dances on Wood'' || As director; documentary short || <ref name="angelusnews"/> |- | 2017 || ''Hairat'' || As director; documentary short || <ref name="hairat" /> |- | 2017 || ''Heroin'' || As director, screenwriter, executive producer, producer, and additional cinematography; documentary short || <ref name="heroin">{{Cite web |title=Heroin {{!}} 2017 Tribeca Festival |url=https://www.tribecafilm.com/films/jessica-beshir-2017 |access-date=10 January 2025 |website=Tribeca}}</ref> |- | 2017 || ''The Gift'' || Television miniseries || <ref name="africanfilmny"/> |- | 2018 || ''Kings'' || || <ref name="africanfilmny"/> |- | 2021 || ''Faya Dayi'' || As director, executive producer, producer, writer, cinematographer; documentary feature film || <ref>{{Cite web |title=FAYA DAYI |url=https://www.docnyc.net/film/faya-dayi/ |access-date=10 January 2025 |website=DOC NYC |archive-date=10 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250110203532/https://www.docnyc.net/film/faya-dayi/ |url-status=live }}</ref> |}
==Awards and nominations== {| class="wikitable sortable" ! Year !! Award !! Category !! Recipient !! Results !! Ref |- | 2017 || Anchorage International Film Festival || Jury Award || rowspan="2"|''He Who Dances on Wood'' || {{Won}} || rowspan="3" | <ref name="africanfilmny" /> |- | 2017 || Edmonton International Film Festival || Best Documentary Short || {{Won}} |- | 2017 || Sundance Film Festival || Short Film Grand Jury Prize || ''Hairat'' || {{Nominated}} |- | rowspan="11"| 2021 || Academy Awards || Best Documentary Feature Film || rowspan="13"|''Faya Dayi'' || {{Shortlisted}} || <ref name="oscars">{{cite press release|url=https://www.oscars.org/news/94th-oscarsr-shortlists-10-award-categories-announced|title=94th Oscars Shortlists|date=20 December 2021|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|access-date=10 January 2025|archive-date=22 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122132617/https://www.oscars.org/news/94th-oscarsr-shortlists-10-award-categories-announced|url-status=live}}</ref> |- | Black Reel Award || Best Foreign Language Film || {{Nominated}} || <ref>{{Cite web |title=Faya Dayi_Foreign |url=https://www.blackreelawards.com/faya-dayi_foreign |access-date=10 January 2025 |website=Black Reel Awards |archive-date=19 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250119145524/https://www.blackreelawards.com/faya-dayi_foreign |url-status=live }}</ref> |- | rowspan="4"| Cinema Eye Honors || Outstanding Non-Fiction Feature || {{Nominated}} || rowspan="4" | <ref>{{cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2021/11/2022-cinema-eye-honors-complete-nominations-list-flee-summer-of-soul-1234871458/|title='Flee' & 'Summer Of Soul' Lead Cinema Eye Honors Nominations|website=Deadline|first=Matt|last=Grobar|date=10 November 2021|accessdate=10 January 2025|archive-date=10 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110215053/https://deadline.com/2021/11/2022-cinema-eye-honors-complete-nominations-list-flee-summer-of-soul-1234871458/|url-status=live}}</ref> |- | Outstanding Direction || {{Nominated}} |- | Outstanding Cinematography || {{Nominated}} |- | Outstanding Debut || {{Nominated}} |- | rowspan="2"| Critics' Choice Documentary Awards || Best Cinematography || {{Nominated}} || rowspan="2" |<ref name="indiewire 202110">{{Cite news |last=Lattanzio |first=Ryan |date=18 October 2021 |title='Ascension' and 'Summer of Soul' Lead Critics Choice Documentary Nominations |url=https://www.indiewire.com/awards/industry/critics-choice-awards-documentary-nominations-2021-1234672379/ |access-date=10 January 2025 |work=IndieWire |archive-date=21 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240521090340/https://www.indiewire.com/awards/industry/critics-choice-awards-documentary-nominations-2021-1234672379/ |url-status=live }}</ref> |- | Best First Documentary Feature || {{Nominated}} |- | Gotham Awards || Best Documentary || {{Nominated}} || <ref>{{cite news |last1=Lewis |first1=Hilary |title=Gotham Awards: ''The Lost Daughter'', ''Passing'' Lead Nominations |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/2021-gotham-awards-nominations-list-nominees-1235034685/ |access-date=10 January 2025 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=21 October 2021 |archive-date=21 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021141139/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/2021-gotham-awards-nominations-list-nominees-1235034685/ |url-status=live }}</ref> |- | rowspan="2"| Visions du Réel || Grand Jury Prize || {{Won}} || rowspan="2" | <ref name="variety 1234959647">{{Cite news |last=Hopewell |first=John |date=24 April 2021 |title=Visions du Réel Prizes ‘Faya Dayi,’ ‘1970,' 'Les Enfants Terribles' |url=https://variety.com/2021/film/awards/visions-du-reel-faya-dayi-1970-les-enfants-1234959647/ |access-date=10 January 2025 |work=Variety}}</ref> |- | Fipresci International Critics Award || {{Won}} |- | rowspan="2"|2022 || American Society of Cinematographers Awards || Documentary Award || {{Won}} || <ref name="Pedersen 2022">{{Cite news |last=Pedersen |first=Erik |date=21 March 2022 |title=ASC Awards: 'Dune' Takes Cinematographers' Top Film Prize – Full Winners List |url=https://deadline.com/2022/03/asc-awards-2022-winners-list-american-society-of-cinematographers-1234982757/ |access-date=10 January 2025 |work=Deadline Hollywood |archive-date=10 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220510004718/https://deadline.com/2022/03/asc-awards-2022-winners-list-american-society-of-cinematographers-1234982757/ |url-status=live }}</ref> |- | Independent Spirit Awards || The Truer Than Fiction Award || {{Won}} || <ref name="Variety 2022">{{Cite news |last=Lang |first=Brent |last2=Earl |first2=William |last3=Chapman |first3=Wilson |date=6 March 2022 |title=Spirit Awards 2022 Winners: 'The Lost Daughter,' 'Reservation Dogs' Score in Diversity-Focused Ceremony |url=https://variety.com/2022/awards/news/spirit-awards-2022-winners-1235193568/ |access-date=10 January 2025 |work=Variety |archive-date=9 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220309011104/https://variety.com/2022/awards/news/spirit-awards-2022-winners-1235193568/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Her short film "Hairat," which debuted at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, marked her directorial debut.<ref>https://www.mainemedia.edu/faculty/list/jessica-beshir/</ref> |}
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links== * {{IMDb name}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Beshir, Jessica}} Category:1988 births Category:Living people Category:Mexican people of Ethiopian descent Category:Mexican expatriates in the United States Category:People from Harari Region Category:UCLA College of Letters and Science alumni Category:American documentary filmmakers Category:American women documentary filmmakers Category:American documentary film directors Category:American documentary film producers Category:Film directors from Brooklyn Category:Independent Spirit Award winners