Jessica Beshir is a Mexican-Ethiopian writer, director, producer and cinematographer based in Brooklyn. Her feature debut, Faya Dayi, premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and has screened at numerous festivals including IFFR, New Directors/New Films, True/False. Faya Dayi won the Grand Jury Prize & Fipresci Award at Visions du Reel, the Grand Jury Award at Full Frame and the Markers Audience Award at Hot Docs among others. Her early short films, Hairat/Criterion, He Who Dances on Wood/PBS and Heroin/Topic have played in festivals and museums around the world including IDFA, Kurzfilmtage Winterthur, Eye Film Museum & MoMi. Beshir has been honored with grant support from the Sundance Film Institute, the Doha Film Institute and the Jerome Foundation.