Jessica J. Rowlands

Biography

Jessica j. Rowlands is an award-winning screenwriter and film director from London. Specializing in emotionally resonant, coming-of-age dramas blending sports and action elements, Jess made history winning consecutive UCLA screenwriting awards in both feature film and television drama. her scripts have been recognized by major festivals and competitions around the world, including the cinestory fellowship, the page awards, the austin film festival, the london independent film awards and the nicholl fellowship, among others. Her directorial debut, RISE, premiered at the prestigious tribeca festival in 2025. Rise is a COMING-OF-AGE BOXING DRAMA, inspired by a true story, starring hollywood actor tongayi chirisa and 8-year-old breakout star sikhanyiso ngwenya, who jess found through a street casting process. rise was shot entirely on location in zimbabwe - where jess spent much of her childhood - WITH AN ALl-AFRICAN team, in conjunction with the community that inspired the film. rise continues to make waves on the international festival circuit. jess holds Law degrees both from the university of london and the University of Chicago law school, specializing in international human rights. Passionate, dedicated, and collaborative, Jess is driven to create impactful films that resonate globally. Outside of filmmaking, Jess loves all sports, woodworking, climbing mountains and painting. she works with arts initiatives across Zimbabwe, has volunteered on a shark research project in mozambique, is an advanced scuba diver and learnt to fly airplanes solo. in 2015, she was the fastest british woman to complete the polar circle marathon, and the youngest competitor in history. she’s also a world class insomniac. Her work will get you fired up and then make you cry, with a few laughs along the way, because what is the point of life if not to feel everything?