Jessica Kingdon Biography – Chinese-American Filmmaker

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Jessica Kingdon Bio

Jessica Kingdon is an Oscar-nominated filmmaker who is known for her documentary, Ascension. Photo Source: Social Media.

  • Birth Name Jessica Kingdon
  • Nationality Chinese-American
  • Profession Film Director
  • Partner Nathan Truesdell
  • Relationship Status Married
  • Eye Color Brown
  • Hair Color Black
  • Education MA in Media Studies
  • Awards Honors 2022 Oscar Nomination, 2020 DOC NYC 40 Under 40
  • IMDB https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4398489/

Last updated on March 26th, 2022 at 03:50 pm

Jessica Kingdon is one of the well-renowned filmmakers in the entertainment industry. She came into the spotlight with her movie Ascension in 2021. It explores the theme of capitalism and consumerism via the Chinese class divide.

The director is also known for her other several critically acclaimed documentaries. She was named in Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Films list. In addition, she was also listed in the 2020 DOC NYC’s 40 Under 40 category.

However, Kingdon’s personal affairs are mostly hidden due to her private nature. So, here we will learn about her family, siblings, career, earnings, and love life.

Jessica Kingdon Is A Chinese-American Filmmaker

As mentioned earlier, the producer is a person of secrecy. So, she has kept details about her birthday and birthplace private. Still, from what we know, Jessica’s parents raised her in America. She only found out about her Chinese relatives while filming Ascension in China.

Jessica Kingdon’s mother, a Chinese native, was born and raised in Japan. She also rarely talked about her past or childhood with her daughter. On the other hand, Jessica Kingdon’s father is a Jewish-American.

The director wasn’t initially interested in filming in her mom’s country. However, her brother, who learned Mandarin and lived in China for a few years, sparked her interest.

Jessica Kingdon Family
Jessica Kingdon’s mother is Chinese and her father is American. Photo Source: Social Media.

Kingdon attended Columbia University and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Film Studies. She later completed her MA in Media Studies from The New School.

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Jessica Kingdon Net Worth And Career

The Chinese-American director has worked on numerous documentaries, short films, and television series. She also has many producer, scriptwriter, editor, and cinematographer credits under her name. Hence, Jessica Kingdon’s net worth comprises her earnings from her film career.

The filmmaker began her career as an intern and production assistant for William Kentridge: Anything Is Possible, Frontline, and Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry. She landed her first producer and director job for Pig Roast in 2013. She has since worked on many projects whose release dates are as follow:

Documentaries Release Date
Someone Good Will Find You December 6, 2016
The Water Slide March 3, 2018
Born Guilty May 11, 2018
Landing Up May 15, 2018
It’s Coming! 2020

Aside from that, Kingdon has written scripts for Jessica, Clippings, Looking at Animals, etc. Her work is supported by Cinereach, Sundance, SFFILM, Chicken & Egg, Firelight Media, and Field of Vision. Furthermore, the filmmaker has earned a nomination for Best Feature Documentary for the 2022 Oscars.

A documentary filmmaker’s average income is $29 an hour and $59,610 a year. So, Jessica’s salary must also be around that range. Thus, Jessica Kingdon’s net worth must be a notable amount from her filmmaking career.

Another individual with remarkable filmmaking skills is Colin Englert.

Is Jessica Kingdon Married?

The talented director has tied knots with her partner, Nathan Truesdell. He is the cinematographer and producer of Ascension. In addition, Jessica Kingdon’s husband, Nathan, shares the Oscar nomination alongside her and Kira Simon-Kennedy.

The pair hasn’t precisely shared when they first got to know each other. Likewise, both haven’t revealed when they got married. However, Filmmaker Magazine’s 2021 interview calls Kingdon’s partner, Nathan, her husband-to-be. So, the lovebirds might be a newly wedded couple.

Jessica Kingdon Husband Nathan Truesdell
Jessica Kingdon’s husband, Nathan Truesdell, worked as a producer and cinematographer in Ascension. Photo Source: Social Media.

Jessica Kingdon’s spouse, Nathan, has many movie credits, namely, You’re Next, Balloonfest, Lightning vs. Thunder, Flat Black, etc. He has more than a decade of documentary-making experience.

The duo prefers to keep a low-key profile in the media. Kingdon isn’t active on social media, whereas her husband, Nathan’s Instagram account, is private. Nonetheless, the pair must be enjoying marital bliss. Both might spend their time traveling and making movies.

Similarly, Jessica hasn’t shared whether she has any children. So, let’s hope the filmmaker and her spouse will succeed more in the upcoming days.