Jason Baffa's fascination with filmmaking began at the tender age of five, when his cousin Christopher Baffa ASC was shooting an 8mm stop-motion film for school. This early exposure sparked a lifelong passion for the craft, and Baffa knew he had to be a part of it.
In his early years, Baffa spent summers working at Todd AO Sound under the guidance of two-time Academy Award Sound Mixer Chris Jenkins. He then transitioned to full-time work at New World Entertainment, where he managed properties for Fox, ABC, Stephen J. Cannell Productions, and Marvel Comics.
Baffa's love for surfing led him to produce shows for Bluetorch TV on Fox Sports, delivering over 250 hours of action-sports related programming.
Seeking to return to film, Baffa self-produced his first independent feature, "Singlefin: yellow" (2004),a 16mm cult-classic that redefined the surfing genre by documenting the journey of a single surfboard instead of the surfers themselves. The film received widespread acclaim, with Yahoo News praising it as "the perfect armchair traveler."
Baffa's follow-up project, "One California Day" (2007),co-directed and shot with Mark Jeremias, is considered by many to be "one of the best surf films of our modern times" (Surfer Magazine).
Thereafter, Baffa began directing commercials and eventually packaged his passion project, "Bella Vita" (2014),a feature film that follows a California surfer who returns to his family roots in Italy, a parallel to Baffa's own ancestry.
Shot on 35mm, "Bella Vita" won critical acclaim, with The London Arts News calling it "Visually Stunning." The film premiered at the prestigious San Sebastian Film Festival and won several awards, including Best Doc / Best Cinematography at the Highland Park International Film Fest and Best Doc La Costa.
With a strong following for his cult documentary surf films, Baffa was approached to shoot and direct "Loopers: The Caddie's Long Walk" (2018),a film narrated by Bill Murray that provides a first-ever look into the secretive world of the golf caddie.
The film premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Fest and Edinburg, and won several awards, including Best Doc at the Newport Beach Film Festival and Best Doc Cleveland Film Festival. Golf Digest praised the film, noting that it is "reminiscent of the BBC's 'Planet Earth' series, educating while aesthetically captivating."
Baffa's films have enjoyed limited theatrical runs and have been released worldwide on DVD, VOD, and streaming platforms, including Fox Sports, Globosat, Lionsgate, Netflix, Redbull Media House, and The Golf Channel.
When not producing features, Baffa works as a commercial Director and Director of Photography for top brands, including Acura, Anheuser-Busch, BMW, Ford, Jeep, MTV, Patagonia, and Toyota.
Baffa's development slate includes both documentary film, TV, and scripted projects, as well as managing passion projects like ZIOBAFFA organic Italian wines.
Main website: jasonbaffafilms.com
