Biography

Jeff Lester, a graduate of U.C. Berkeley, has been directing since 1996, winning multiple awards for his work. He was first recruited by Robert Redford's Sundance Channel to direct and produce segments of Sundance Dailies, a half-hour program highlighting the Sundance Film Festival. The show aired on both the Sundance Channel and Showtime. Continuing his relationship with the Sundance Channel, Lester created, wrote, produced and directed The Shorts Show, a series pilot focusing on the craft of short filmmaking, hosted by Oscar winner, Laura Dern.

Lester entered the world of filmmaking with his debut short film, The Last Real Cowboys, starring Academy Award and Golden Globes winner Billy Bob Thornton and legendary actor Mickey Jones. Jeff directed, produced and co-authored the story line with screenwriter Rudy Gaines. The film premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and went on to become an audience favorite at over 20 international film festivals, including South By Southwest, Aspen Shorts Fest, New York's Shorts International Film Festival (winner of "Best Comedy"), Telluride Mountain Film Festival ("Best Short Film"), London Film Festival and Stockholm Film Festival. The film was chosen as part of the Ifilm/AMC Theaters premiere theatrical showcase for short films and was eligible for Academy Award nomination. The short was licensed for on-demand distribution by Atom Films and IndieFlix. A feature-length screenplay, loosely based on the 12-minute short, was story lined by Lester, Gaines, and Thornton and penned by Gaines and Lester. Thornton, a long-time friend of Lester, is attached to star with Lester directing. The film Broken, starring Heather Graham and Jeremy Sisto, was created from an original story of Lester's and written by collaborator, Drew Pillsbury. Lester and Pillsbury both served as co-producers on the project. The film premiered at AFI Fest Film Festival and went on to have a limited theatrical release by First Look International, and procured a strong on-demand audience. The short film Mr. President, directed by Lester, was shot and edited in 48 hours for the Elevate Film Festival. The film took home top honors of Best Short Narrative Film (Jury Award), Best Short Narrative Film (Audience Award), and Best Director Award for Lester. The short film Speed of Life was Lester's first foray into documentary filmmaking. It is the story of competitive snowboarder Amy Purdy and her triumphant journey. The film premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival and was an official selection at Aspen Shorts Fest, Maui Film Festival, Gaia Film Festival, Port Clinton International Film Festival and Heart of Gold International Film Festival. Speed of Life was licensed by IndieFlix for on-demand distribution.

Lester has directed numerous commercials, music videos, branded content, and live multi-camera events, winning many awards for his work.

- IMDb mini biography by: Big Picture Studios