Jess Dang is a Chinese-American writer and director based in Los Angeles. She values the process of collaboration and hopes to continue telling stories that can work as visual conversations. Jess holds an MFA from USC's School of Cinematic Arts and a BFA in Communication Design from Parsons School of Design.

Her short documentary film, Made by Me, explored the connection between three Los Angeles artists. It played at more than fifty film festivals worldwide, including The Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival, DOC NYC, and received distribution with The Documentary Channel, Hallmark, and Gaim TV.

Dang most recently wrote and directed Surrender, a short film starring Andrea Bang from Kim's Convenience and Keiko Agena from Gilmore Girls. Surrender is the story of a young Asian female - a recovering compulsive gambler that relapses after 100 days of abstinence. The film attempts to confront and dismantle the harmful media image of the Asian female stereotype - docile, quiet, invisible - leading to discrimination and conversations about gender roles in society, linked to racism and sexism. Surrender premiered at The Directors Guild of America as part of LA Asian Pacific Film Festival's 38th edition in the spring of 2022.

Jess is committed to amplifying Asian voices and centering underrepresented communities in her body of work. She admires the films of Chloe Zhao, Mira Nair, loves modern art museums, and is a dedicated bruncher. Jess participated in Owning It - a program of The Gotham Film & Media Institute - dedicated to supporting, connecting, and empowering women and non-binary creators and entrepreneurs who break down boundaries in the media and entertainment industry. Dang is a Film Independent Fellow.

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Jess Dang

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