Jessi Gutch is an award winning writer/director, who makes films whilst also trying not to die of an incurable ovarian cancer called Sertoli-Leydig. She is interested in reflexive films about big political ideas that don’t take themselves too seriously. Jessi’s work touches on themes of grief, mortality, psychogeography, nostalgia, compassion, and community, always trying to imagine something with more nuance, empathy, humour and unknowingness.
Jessi’s debut non-fiction feature, Blue Has No Borders, premiered in the International First Feature Competition at Sheffield DocFest 2025, and was BIFA longlisted for the Debut Documentary Director award. Their filmmaking has been funded by BFI, DocSociety, Ffilm Cymru, Arts Council, Screen Scotland, Uncertain Kingdom, and Audible. She is an alumni of BAFTA Elevate, BFI NETWORK@LFF, Edinburgh Talent Lab, Radical Film School and a selected artist-in-residence at Derek Jarman’s Prospect Cottage.
Jessi’s short films have all screened at BAFTA qualifying film festivals – The Forgotten C was nominated for BIFA Best British Short 2020; Blind as a Beat was the winner of the Listening Pitch 2021, semi finalist at Reel Abilities Film Festival and Best Experimental Film at Women Over 50 Film Festival; Until The Tide Creeps In took home both Best Documentary and Best of Festival awards at Aesthetica 2022.
Jessi is currently working on their next non fiction feature, a social essay and participatory experiment on the impossibilities of a middle class led revolution.