Jess X. Snow is a non-binary filmmaker, multi-disciplinary artist, poet, and educator of the JiangXi Chinese diaspora. They hold an MFA in writing and directing from New York University, and were named one of Filmmaker Magazine's 25 New Faces of Independent Film.
Their genre-defying short films blend bold visuals, dream, memory, and song to explore how flawed Asian characters find freedom. Notable short films include Roots That Reach Toward The Sky, which premiered at the BFI London Film Festival in 2024, as well as Afterearth, Safe Among Stars, Little Sky, and I Wanna Become The Sky, which screened at over 50 film festivals across five continents.
Jess X. Snow is currently developing their first narrative feature, When The River Split Open, a surreal romantic road movie that participated in the Cine Qua Non Script Revision Lab and the Film Independent Producing Lab.
As a cinematographer and producer, they have worked on several narrative and documentary films by Black, Indigenous, and Asian directors, showcasing a strong sense of subjective voice. Their work has screened at festivals such as the Toronto International Film Festival, Palm Springs, and Aspen ShortsFest, and has been supported by organizations like the Sundance Institute, ITVS, Rooftop Films, and Topic's One Story Up.
Their documentary short, We Were the Scenery, will world premiere in competition at the Sundance Film Festival in 2025. They have also contributed cinematography to feature documentaries such as Nobuko Miyamoto: A Song in Movement, which aired on PBS SoCal, and Third Act, which will compete in the Sundance US Documentary Competition in 2025, directed by Tad Nakamura.
Before pursuing a career in filmmaking, Jess X. Snow spent a decade creating artwork for migrant, climate, and racial justice movements. Their community-informed public art has been featured in publications such as The New York Times Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, PBS, Hulu, the San Francisco Chronicle, Hyperallergic, and on walls across the continent.
In addition to their artistic practice, Jess X. Snow teaches screenwriting and community mural-making to people of all ages and backgrounds.
