Director and photographer Jess Kohl has joined the talent roster at Love Song, the production house founded by Kelly Bayett and Daniel Wolfe.
Love Song’s incredible roster of talent. Jess’ ability to tell thought-provoking stories with a unique visual identity makes her directorial eye an invaluable asset to any campaign or creative project.
Born in London, Kohl has turned out work often focusing on underrepresented voices, which she seeks to amplify through nuanced and poignant storytelling via a distinctive cinematic lens. She carries her artistic mission to her commercial film work with many global brands, including Nike, Speedo, On Running, Google, WhatsApp, and Carhartt.
After graduating from Central Saint Martins, Kohl completed a Masters in cinematography. Her films and photography have been featured in many renowned publications such as Dazed, Another Magazine, British Journal of Photography, Nowness, The Face, Vogue, i-D, and many more.
Her award-winning short films include A Mouthful of Petrol, a coming-of-age documentary following a father and son who share a passion for banger racing. The film won Golden Frog for Best Documentary Short at Camerimage and premiered at IDFA. In 2019, she won Best Director and Best Documentary at the Milan Fashion Film Festival for Nirvana, a short film about Koovagam Festival, the largest gathering of transgender women in Asia. In addition, Kohl’s films Disciples and Anarchy in the Philippines have also been nominated for numerous awards, including the Grierson.
Kohl said, “I’ve admired the work that Love Song has been creating since their inception. The culture that Daniel and Kelly have created feels original and exciting – their uniquely collaborative approach, diverse roster, and method of nurturing talent is something that I’m so excited to be a part of. The work is creatively bold and distinct, yet very human, which perfectly aligns with who I am as a filmmaker. I can’t wait to start creating together!”
“I love how Jess sees the world,” said director Wolfe. “Her sensitivity to her subjects, her compassionate approach – she captures life in a beautiful way. I’m excited to work with her.”
Prior to joining Love Song, Kohl was repped in the U.S. by PRETTYBIRD, which continues to handle her in the U.K. market.
Full Lineup Set For AFI Fest; Official Selections Span 44 Countries, Include 9 Best International Feature Oscar Submissions
The American Film Institute (AFI) has unveiled the full lineup for this year’s AFI Fest, taking place in Los Angeles from October 23-27. Rounding out the slate of already announced titles are such highlights as September 5 directed by Tim Fehlbaum, All We Imagine As Light directed by Payal Kapadia, The Luckiest Man in America directed by Samir Oliveros (AFI Class of 2019), Zurawski v. Texas from executive producers Hillary Clinton, Chelsea Clinton and Jennifer Lawrence and directors Maisie Crow and Abbie Perrault, and Oh, Canada directed by Paul Schrader (AFI Class of 1969). A total of 158 films are set to screen at the 38th edition of AFI Fest.
Of the official selections, 48% are directed by women and non-binary filmmakers and 26% are directed by BIPOC filmmakers.
Additional festival highlights include documentaries Architecton directed by Victor Kossakovsky; Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie directed by David Bushell; Devo directed by Chris Smith about the legendary new wave provocateurs; Gaucho Gaucho directed by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw; Group Therapy directed by Neil Berkeley with Emmy® winner Neil Patrick Harris and Tig Notaro; No Other Land directed by a Palestinian-Israeli team comprised of Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor and Hamdan Ballal; Pavements directed by Alex Ross Perry; and Separated directed by Errol Morris. Notable narrative titles include Black Dog (Gou Zen) directed by Guan Hu; Bonjour Tristesse directed by Durga Chew-Bose with Academy Award® nominee Chloë Sevigny; Caught By The Tides directed by Jia Zhangke; Hard Truths directed by Mike Leigh with... Read More