Jessica M. Thompson is an Australian film and television writer, director, editor, and producer. She lives 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 26 August 2022 and was the top-grossing film at the box office that weekend.[18] The film debuted at #2 on the Netflix charts on 24 December 2022[19][20] with over 664 million minutes viewed on the platform in one week.[21]

Thompson is currently attached to direct a film about Ernest Hemingway's final years, entitled The Hemingway Files.[22]

Personal life

In 2010, Thompson moved from Sydney, Australia to Brooklyn, New York. She lived in the Williamsburg neighborhood[23] for more than eight years before moving to Los Angeles, California.

Filmography

Short film

YearTitleDirectorWriterProducerEditorNotes
2008Hike
Percepio
2012Three
2013Across the Pond

Feature film

YearTitleDirectorWriterProducerEditorNotes
2017The Light of the MoonRole: Waitress
2022The Invitation

Television

YearTitleNotes
2020The End6 episodes

Other credits

YearTitleRoleNotes
2012419Associate Producer
Love, MarilynAssociate editor and production managerDocumentary film
2013The Abominable CrimeAdditional editor
2014Watchers of the Sky
Back on Board: Greg LouganisEditor

References

  1. ^ "Jessica Thompson". Big Vision Empty Wallet. Archived from the original on 3 March 2019. Retrieved 2018-05-19.
  2. ^ Palmer, Colby. "Cinefemme: The Art and Soul of Filmmaking". Cinefemme. Retrieved 2017-05-19.
  3. ^ Allen, Joseph (2017-03-11). "SXSW 2017 Women Directors: Jessica M. Thompson— “The Light of the Moon”". Women and Hollywood. Retrieved 2017-05-19.
  4. ^ "UTS Alumni selected to premiere work at SXSW Film Festival in the USA | UTS News Room". newsroom.uts.edu.au. Retrieved 2017-05-18.
  5. ^ "'Back on Board: Greg Louganis': Outfest Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2017-05-17.
  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 2017-05-17.
  7. ^ Nieporent, Ben. "eFilmCritic - SxSW 2017 Interview: THE LIGHT OF THE MOON director Jessica M. Thompson". www.efilmcritic.com. Retrieved 2017-05-22.
  8. ^ "The Light of The Moon". SXSW 2017 Schedule. Retrieved 2017-05-17.
  9. ^ Evans, Greg (2017-03-18). "SXSW Audiences Give Top Honors To 'Light Of The Moon', 'Baby Driver', 'Dealt'". Deadline. Retrieved 2017-05-17.
  10. ^ Barker, Andrew (2017-03-13). "Film Review: 'The Light of the Moon'". Variety. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  11. ^ Felperin, Leslie. "'The Light of the Moon': Film Review | SXSW 2017". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2017-05-17.
  12. ^ Morris, Ryan (2017-10-30). "THE LIGHT OF THE MOON: A Stunning Foray Into A Sensitive Subject". Film Inquiry. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  13. ^ "SXSW Winner 'The Light of the Moon' Picked Up by Imagination Worldwide (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2017-07-03.
  14. ^ "The Light of the Moon (2017)", retrieved 2020-01-15
  15. ^ Barraclough, Leo (2018-09-26). "Sky, Foxtel Order 'The End,' Starring Harriet Walter, Frances O'Connor". Variety. Retrieved 2020-01-15.
  16. ^ Kilday, Gregg (2011-02-27). "'The King's Speech' Reigns at Oscars". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  17. ^ "The Invitation (2022) - IMDb", retrieved 2023-09-29
  18. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (2022-08-28). "'The Invitation' Tops Box Office With $7 Million in Catastrophically Slow Weekend". Variety. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  19. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  20. ^ Moore, Kasey (2022-12-13). "'The Invitation' To Release on Netflix in December 2022". What's on Netflix. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  21. ^ Porter, Rick (2023-01-27). "‘Glass Onion,’ ‘Yellowstone’ Close 2022 With Big Streaming Weeks". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  22. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (4 November 2025). "Ernest Hemingway Feature In Works With Great-Granddaughter Dree Hemingway Aboard As Executive Producer". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
  23. ^ "Eye For Film: Tropfest: New York - Part Two". www.eyeforfilm.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-05-18.