Jessica Kaye

Jessica was born in South Africa and raised in Minneapolis. She studied Literature and Performance Studies at Harvard, earned an MFA in Acting at Columbia, and an MFA in Directing at USC. She has starred in plays (Nina in The Seagull, Viola in Twelfth Night, and Maude/Victoria in Cloud 9, were some of her favorite roles) and feature films, produced and performed in ribald performance-art parties, and played a soap opera villain on television's One Life to Live. As a writer/director, her short films - including Shortage, executive produced by James Franco - have won awards and screened at numerous festivals. Kaye is the co-writer/director and lead actor of the feature film Inheritance, shot on location in Belize, which premiered at SXSW. She is an alum of the AFI Directing Workshop for Women and the Universal Studios Directors Initiative. A former competitive figure skater, dance of all kinds - from Berghain to the ballet - is a great love of Jessica's life.