{{Short description|Film and television writer, director, editor, and producer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}} {{Use Australian English|date=November 2019}} thumb '''Jessica M. Thompson''' is an Australian film and television writer, director, editor, and producer. She lives in Los Angeles.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bigvisionemptywallet.com/jessica-thompson/|title=Jessica Thompson|website=Big Vision Empty Wallet|language=en-US|access-date=2018-05-19|archive-date=3 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190303073317/http://www.bigvisionemptywallet.com/jessica-thompson|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Early life and education== Thompson grew up in the Western Suburbs of Sydney, Australia and is of partial Maltese heritage. Thompson studied at the Sydney Theatre Company<ref name=cinefemme>{{Cite web|url=https://cinefemme.net/people/jessica-m-thompson/|title=Cinefemme: The Art and Soul of Filmmaking|last=Palmer|first=Colby|website=Cinefemme|language=en|access-date=2017-05-19}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://blog.womenandhollywood.com/sxsw-2017-women-directors-jessica-m-thompson-the-light-of-the-moon-91311c3736e9|title=SXSW 2017 Women Directors: Jessica M. Thompson— “The Light of the Moon”|date=2017-03-11|work=Women and Hollywood|access-date=2017-05-19|first=Joseph|last=Allen}}</ref> and University of Technology Sydney, where she received a B.A. in Media Arts and Production.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://newsroom.uts.edu.au/content/uts-alumni-selected-premiere-work-sxsw-film-festival-usa|title=UTS Alumni selected to premiere work at SXSW Film Festival in the USA {{!}} UTS News Room|website=newsroom.uts.edu.au|language=en|access-date=2017-05-18}}</ref>
== Career == Thompson worked as a film editor in Sydney, before moving to New York City in 2010, where she founded Stedfast Productions.<ref name="cinefemme" /> She edited Cheryl Furjanic's documentary, ''Back on Board'', which premiered on HBO in August 2015<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/back-board-greg-louganis-outfest-720410|title='Back on Board: Greg Louganis': Outfest Review|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=2017-05-17|language=en}}</ref> and was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://emmyonline.com/sports_37th_nominations|title=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|website=emmyonline.com|language=en-US|access-date=2017-05-17|archive-date=9 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109133533/http://emmyonline.com/sports_37th_nominations|url-status=dead}}</ref> Thompson has also worked as a film editor with filmmakers Liz Garbus and Edet Belzberg.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.efilmcritic.com/feature.php?feature=4022|title=eFilmCritic - SxSW 2017 Interview: THE LIGHT OF THE MOON director Jessica M. Thompson|last=Nieporent|first=Ben|website=www.efilmcritic.com|access-date=2017-05-22}}</ref>
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<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://schedule.sxsw.com/2017/events/FS21156|title=The Light of The Moon|work=SXSW 2017 Schedule|access-date=2017-05-17|language=en-US}}</ref> in March 2017, where it won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature Film.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2017/03/sxsw-audience-awards-light-of-the-moon-baby-driver-1202046363/|title=SXSW Audiences Give Top Honors To 'Light Of The Moon', 'Baby Driver', 'Dealt'|last=Evans|first=Greg|date=2017-03-18|work=Deadline|access-date=2017-05-17|language=en-US}}</ref> Critics called the film "harrowingly effective" (Variety),<ref>{{Cite web|last=Barker|first=Andrew|date=2017-03-13|title=Film Review: 'The Light of the Moon'|url=https://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/sxsw-film-review-the-light-of-the-moon-1202007604/|access-date=2022-01-26|website=Variety|language=en-US}}</ref> "honest and complex" (The Hollywood Reporter),<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/light-moon-review-986951|title='The Light of the Moon': Film Review {{!}} SXSW 2017|last=Felperin|first=Leslie|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=2017-05-17|language=en}}</ref> and Film Inquiry stated that, "For any filmmaker this would be an unmitigated triumph, but for a first time filmmaker this is revelatory."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Morris|first=Ryan|date=2017-10-30|title=THE LIGHT OF THE MOON: A Stunning Foray Into A Sensitive Subject|url=https://www.filminquiry.com/light-of-the-moon-2017-review/|access-date=2022-01-26|website=Film Inquiry|language=en-US}}</ref> ''The Light of the Moon'' had a limited North American theatrical release in November–December 2017.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sxsw-winner-light-moon-picked-up-by-imagination-worldwide-1009035|title=SXSW Winner 'The Light of the Moon' Picked Up by Imagination Worldwide (Exclusive)|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=2017-07-03|language=en}}</ref> The film has a 97% score on review-aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.<ref>{{Citation|title=The Light of the Moon (2017)|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_light_of_the_moon|language=en|access-date=2020-01-15}}</ref>
Thompson was the lead director on Showtime's ten-part television series ''The End'' (2020), starring Harriet Walter and Frances O'Connor,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2018/tv/global/sky-foxtel-the-end-harriet-walter-frances-oconnor-1202958102/|title=Sky, Foxtel Order 'The End,' Starring Harriet Walter, Frances O'Connor|last=Barraclough|first=Leo|date=2018-09-26|website=Variety|language=en|access-date=2020-01-15}}</ref> produced by the academy-Award-winning, See-Saw Films.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kilday|first=Gregg|date=2011-02-27|title='The King's Speech' Reigns at Oscars|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/83rd-academy-awards-underway-162104/|access-date=2022-01-26|website=The Hollywood Reporter|language=en-US}}</ref>
In 2022, Thompson directed her second feature film, ''The Invitation'', a Sony Pictures horror-thriller starring Nathalie Emmanuel, and written by Blair Butler.<ref>{{Citation |title=The Invitation (2022) - IMDb |url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt12873562/reference/ |access-date=2023-09-29}}</ref> It was released in cinemas worldwide on 26 August 2022 and was the top-grossing film at the box office that weekend.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rubin |first=Rebecca |date=2022-08-28 |title='The Invitation' Tops Box Office With $7 Million in Catastrophically Slow Weekend |url=https://variety.com/2022/film/box-office/the-invitation-box-office-slow-weekend-1235352792/ |access-date=2023-09-29 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> The film debuted at #2 on the Netflix charts on 24 December 2022<ref>{{Cite web |title=Instagram |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/CmzyADKS03-/ |access-date=2023-09-29 |website=www.instagram.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Moore |first=Kasey |date=2022-12-13 |title='The Invitation' To Release on Netflix in December 2022 |url=https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/when-will-the-invitation-be-on-netflix-12-2022/ |access-date=2023-09-29 |website=What's on Netflix |language=en}}</ref> with over 664 million minutes viewed on the platform in one week.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Porter |first=Rick |date=2023-01-27 |title=‘Glass Onion,’ ‘Yellowstone’ Close 2022 With Big Streaming Weeks |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/streaming-tv-rankings-dec-26-2022-jan-1-2023-1235311394/ |access-date=2023-10-06 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref>
Thompson is currently attached to direct a film about Ernest Hemingway's final years, entitled ''The Hemingway Files''.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://deadline.com/2025/11/ernest-hemingway-film-in-works-dree-hemingway-1236606645/|title= Ernest Hemingway Feature In Works With Great-Granddaughter Dree Hemingway Aboard As Executive Producer|date= 4 November 2025|access-date= 4 November 2025|first= Andreas|last= Wiseman|work= Deadline Hollywood}}</ref>
== Personal life == In 2010, Thompson moved from Sydney, Australia to Brooklyn, New York. She lived in the Williamsburg neighborhood<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/feature/2013-07-01-tropfest-new-york-part-two-feature-story-by-anne-katrin-titze|title=Eye For Film: Tropfest: New York - Part Two|website=www.eyeforfilm.co.uk|language=en|access-date=2017-05-18}}</ref> for more than eight years before moving to Los Angeles, California.
== Filmography == '''Short film''' {| class="wikitable" !Year !Title !Director !Writer !Producer !Editor !Notes |- |rowspan=2|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''' {| class="wikitable" !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''' {| class="wikitable" !Year !Title !Notes |- |2020 |''The End'' |6 episodes |- |}
'''Other credits''' {| class="wikitable" !Year !Title !Role !Notes |- |rowspan=2|2012 |''419'' |Associate Producer | |- |''Love, Marilyn'' |Associate editor and production manager |rowspan=4|Documentary film |- |2013 |''The Abominable Crime'' |rowspan=2|Additional editor |- |rowspan=2|2014 |''Watchers of the Sky'' |- |''Back on Board: Greg Louganis'' |Editor |- |}
== References == {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb name|3701612}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Jessica}} Category:Australian film editors Category:Australian film directors Category:Australian women film directors Category:Australian women screenwriters Category:Australian women film producers Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:University of Technology Sydney alumni Category:Australian women film editors Category:Living people Category:Australian people of Maltese descent Category:Australian expatriates in the United States Category:Film directors from Sydney