Jennifer Holness

Jen Holness brings a fresh, authentic perspective to telling powerful, thought-provoking stories. She writes, produces, and directs. Jen is the first Black woman in Canada to win a Canadian Screen Award (CSA) for writing on a mini-series she created, Guns. She recently produced the critically acclaimed feature, 40 Acres, that sold to Hulu and is nominated for five NAACP Awards, including Outstanding Independent Motion Pictureand Outstanding International Picture.#WhileBlack, a feature documentary she co-directed, premieres at SXSW this year along with Black Zombie, a doc film she executive produced. Her previous feature, Subjects of Desire, was a Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Top Ten film, traveled extensively in festivals where it won numerous awards and sold to Starz and Hulu. BLK: An Origin Story, a documentary series that she created, produced, and directed won 5 CSA, including Best Director for her episode.Jen’s films and TV shows have screened and sold globally, earning prizes from major film festivals. A CMPA Indiescreen Producer of the Year, Jen also received WIFT’sCreative Excellence Award and The Hollywood Reporter profiled her as one of the 40 Most Influential Women in International Film.

ABOUT #WhileBlack

#WhileBlack: Witnesses who filmed the deaths of George Floyd and others step forward in this ground-breaking documentary about viral videos that have ignited global movements. We hear the firsthand stories of these citizen journalists as we dive deep into the technology platforms that deliver and profit from these images.