JESSICA SMITH writer | director

Jessica Smith is an ADG Award winning, multi-hyphenate filmmaker with 15 years of production experience on high-profile projects, including Scream 4, Shantaram, Better Man and The Clearing.

Jess has been selected for two Vicscreen director's attachments. In 2023 she worked with Academy Award winner Peter Farrelly on Ricky Stanicky and in 2025 she completed the program at Neighbours, directing a total of four episodes of the iconic Australian soap.

Her short film, The Test, enjoyed an award-winning run on the international festival circuit - premiering at Outfest Los Angeles before going on to screen at the likes of Frameline, Show Me Shorts, St Kilda Film Festival and Flickerfest - and now has over 750K views on YouTube. 

In 2024, her debut series, Videoland, won Best Series in the Comedy Competition at Series Mania, was a finalist at the C21 International Drama Awards and received an AACTA Award nomination for Best Online Drama or Comedy. For her work as the sole director, Jess took home an Australian Director's Guild award in 2024.The series was acquired by Netflix ANZ, debuting in the Top 10 TV Shows in both countries.

A passionate advocate for inclusion and diversity on screen, Jess is committed to creating engaging and relatable stories centring historically underrepresented characters.