Jessica Beshir

Biography

Jessica Beshir is a Mexican-Ethiopian documentary filmmaker, producer and cinematographer based in Brooklyn. She graduated in Film Studies and Literature at UCLA, after which she made several internationally acclaimed short films. The short documentary He Who Dances on Wood (2016) was selected for Hot Docs and won Best International Documentary Short at Edmonton Film Festival and the Jury Award at Anchorage International Film Festival. Hairat (2017) premiered at Sundance, was screened at IFFR and IDFA and won several awards at various other festivals. Beshir is a recipient of the Sundance Documentary Film Program, Jerome Foundation and NYFA Fellowships. Faya Dayi (2021) is her feature debut.

Known for

Memory of a Time Twice Lived

Acting roles

Year	Movie / TV show / Other	Role
2015	Memory of a Time Twice Lived	Narration (voice)
2007	The DL Chronicles	Sarah Thomas
2006	Distortion	Gerry
2004	Until the Night	Partygoer
2004	Journey to Lasta	Selam
2004	107 Street	Andrea
2003	200 American	Model
1999	Man Woman Film	Ali's girl

Credits

Year	Movie / TV show / Other	Role
2023	Ladan	Director
2021	Faya Dayi	Director of Photography
2021	Faya Dayi	Sound Recordist
2021	Faya Dayi	Executive Producer
2021	Faya Dayi	Producer
2021	Faya Dayi	Director
2021	Faya Dayi	Writer
2021	IT IS A SOUL: A Portrait of Hailu Mergia	Producer
2021	IT IS A SOUL: A Portrait of Hailu Mergia	Translator
2018	Kings	Director
2017	Hairat	Producer
2017	Hairat	Director of Photography
2017	Hairat	Sound Recordist
2017	Hairat	Director
2017	Heroin	Director
2017	Heroin	Screenplay
2017	Heroin	Producer
2017	Heroin	Additional Photography
2017	The Gift	Director
2017	The Gift	Creator
2016	He Who Dances on Wood	Director
2016	He Who Dances on Wood	Producer
2016	He Who Dances on Wood	Director of Photography
2014	Zemene	Translator