Jessie Barr is a writer/director based in L.A. with roots in theater, independent film, and comedy. A multi-hyphenate born in Washington D.C. Jessie danced with The Washington Ballet before cutting her teeth as an actor in NYC’s Off-Broadway scene and diving into film — writing, directing, acting in, and producing her own work. Jessie’s filmmaking is humanistic, sensual, and darkly funny, centering on characters in moments of rupture where desire, shame, and love collide.

She’s currently developing a Shakespeare adaptation with Academy Award-winning prod co. Caviar (War Pony, Sound of Metal). Her latest short film, Sylvia, starring Jena Malone (Love Lies Bleeding, Neon Demon, The Hunger Games), with support from Isabella Rossellini’s Mama Farm, is being submitted to festivals. Jessie recently directed the viral vertical My Sexy Devil (2025) for CandyJar, garnering over 3 million views.

She is a 2025 Djerassi Artist in Residence, 2024 Half Initiative directing fellow (Ryan Murphy Program), and 2021 Sundance Episodic Lab fellow. The series she co-created went on to be developed with Warner Bros. Television and Tall Baby Productions. Jessie’s work has screened globally at festivals including Deauville, Berlinale, Tribeca, Mar Del Plata, and been featured by The National Board of Review, The New York Times, Short of the Week, Vimeo Staff Pick, and USA Today.

Jessie’s critically acclaimed, award-winning feature debut, Sophie Jones, premiered in competition at the Deauville Film Festival and was released by Oscilloscope Laboratories, earning a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and streaming on Showtime. The film is executive produced by Nicole Holofcener. Roger Ebert hailed it as “Superb." Variety called it "A fully realized portrait of grief that's universal," and The Playlist praised it as "Coming-of-age at its best. A quiet, brilliant film.'“

As a performance artist, Jessie appeared with Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova in PUSSY RIOT SIBERIA (2025) at MOCA. Jessie’s darkly funny, deeply personal cancer chronicle, Serving Cunt debuted at SADE Gallery in Los Angeles (2024), featuring original films, installations, and photography as a way to process her bladder cancer diagnosis, treatment, and healing.

Selected Clients: Garnier, Savannah Rose Studio. Grant recognitions include: MOS Film Grant Recipient (2025), PEN America Writer's Grant Recipient (2020), and Oregon Film Grant Recipient (2019). Jessie is repped by Adam Simpson-Marshall at Entertainment 360.