Jessica M. Thompson

Jessica M. Thompson is an Australian film and television writer, director, editor and producer, who resides in Los Angeles.[1]

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[2][3] and University of Technology Sydney, where she received a B.A. in Media Arts and Production.[4]

Career

Thompson 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

In 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

Short 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
  1. "Jessica Thompson". Big Vision Empty Wallet. Archived from the original on 3 March 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  2. Palmer, Colby. "Cinefemme: The Art and Soul of Filmmaking". Cinefemme. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  3. Allen, Joseph (11 March 2017). "SXSW 2017 Women Directors: Jessica M. Thompson— "The Light of the Moon"". Women and Hollywood. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  4. "UTS Alumni selected to premiere work at SXSW Film Festival in the USA | UTS News Room". newsroom.uts.edu.au. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  5. "'Back on Board: Greg Louganis': Outfest Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  6. "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.
  7. Nieporent, Ben. "eFilmCritic - SxSW 2017 Interview: THE LIGHT OF THE MOON director Jessica M. Thompson". www.efilmcritic.com. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  8. "The Light of The Moon". SXSW 2017 Schedule. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  9. Evans, Greg (18 March 2017). "SXSW Audiences Give Top Honors To 'Light Of The Moon', 'Baby Driver', 'Dealt'". Deadline. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  10. Barker, Andrew (13 March 2017). "Film Review: 'The Light of the Moon'". Variety. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  11. Felperin, Leslie. "'The Light of the Moon': Film Review | SXSW 2017". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  12. Morris, Ryan (30 October 2017). "THE LIGHT OF THE MOON: A Stunning Foray Into A Sensitive Subject". Film Inquiry. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  13. "SXSW Winner 'The Light of the Moon' Picked Up by Imagination Worldwide (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  14. The Light of the Moon (2017), retrieved 15 January 2020
  15. Barraclough, Leo (26 September 2018). "Sky, Foxtel Order 'The End,' Starring Harriet Walter, Frances O'Connor". Variety. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  16. Kilday, Gregg (27 February 2011). "'The King's Speech' Reigns at Oscars". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  17. The Invitation (2022) - IMDb, retrieved 29 September 2023
  18. Rubin, Rebecca (28 August 2022). "'The Invitation' Tops Box Office With $7 Million in Catastrophically Slow Weekend". Variety. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  19. "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  20. Moore, Kasey (13 December 2022). "'The Invitation' To Release on Netflix in December 2022". What's on Netflix. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  21. Porter, Rick (27 January 2023). "'Glass Onion,' 'Yellowstone' Close 2022 With Big Streaming Weeks". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  22. "Eye For Film: Tropfest: New York - Part Two". www.eyeforfilm.co.uk. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
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