Jess Stewart

Born

2000-08-23

Birthplace

Auckland, New Zealand

Biography

Jess Stewart began with 2025's Light Pollution, shot in 2024, which he both wrote and directed. He was born in 2000 without arms or legs. In December of 2024, a heavily abridged version of his short - to meet a 10 minute runtime limit - was shortlisted and nominated for three awards at New Zealand's Day One film challenge, despite thirty-one cut minutes. Since his short film directorial debut, he's gone on to write and direct another short, The Quiet Nerve (currently in post-production), produce two films, work as an editor, colourist, sound designer, composer, casting director and second assistant director on several projects, many still in production. "I don’t believe in the adage that you can do anything you put your mind to. However, I do believe that anything you can plan and thoroughly execute, you will do well." He considers himself inspired by no singular director or art style. He is also an artist, musician and avid cinephile who appears to always be talking about David Lynch, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 1927's Napoleon, or Masaki Kobayashi's three-part nine-hour epic, The Human Condition. His four favourite films are Koyaanisqatsi (1982) from Godfrey Reggio, Martin McDonagh's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri (2017), PT Anderson's Magnolia (1999), and Jane Schoenbrun's I Saw The TV Glow (2024).