Jason A. Kessler
Screenwriter, Filmmaker, Consultant
ABOUT
Jason is a screenwriter and director based in LA. He wrote & directed the award-winning short film Death by Script, he's worked in TV writers' rooms for HBO, CBS, and Apple, and his feature screenplay Escher appeared on the 2018 Black List.
Jason also provides training, lectures, and consulting services related to antisemitism. He's the creator and host of Jew or False, a satirical news web series that fights antisemitism and calls out misinformation.
He earned a screenwriting MFA from UT Austin, received a JD from Columbia Law School, and graduated from Princeton University where he studied neuroscience.
Films
Death by Script
Death by Script is a thriller comedy about a Hollywood assistant who comes across a script that seems to cause the horrific death of anyone who passes on it. It won Best Screenplay at the 2017 LA Comedy Festival, Audience Choice Award at the 2018 LA Indie Film Festival, and the 2018 RTF Longhorn Denius Student Film Showcase at SXSW. It was an Official Selection at the 2017 Denver Film Festival, 2018 DC Independent Film Festival, 2018 Kansas City Film Festival, 2018 SOHO International Film Festival, and 2019 Fastnet Film Festival. Watch the entire 9 minute film here.
That F**king Word
That F**king Word is a romantic tragedy that starts moments after a guy gets dumped. He desperately struggles to talk the girl out of it, while she awkwardly waits for him to get dressed and get out of her apartment. The film stars Eman Esfandi and Milda Gecaite, and premiered at the 2023 SOHO International Film Festival.
Scripts
Jason's feature script Escher appeared on the 2018 Black List. Jason also has the following scripts available upon request.
The Trials of the Boston Massacre
Feature length historical courtroom drama. Shortly before the American Revolution, when British soldiers are put on trial for firing on a crowd in Boston, John Adams is the only man willing to represent them. He risks his reputation, his career, and his safety to defend the soldiers and protect the rule of law.
The Lost Secrets of Zig Zag Island
1 hour TV pilot. It's Goonies meets Game of Thrones as competing factions fight for control over Zig Zag Island while racing to unlock its ancient secrets, in this medieval-era young adult action adventure series.
Burning Kingdom
1 hour TV pilot. An archives worker in first-century Jerusalem finds herself caught between an upper class trying to maintain social order and a shadowy group of freedom-fighting assassins.
Stepfam
1/2 hour TV pilot. Stepfam is a family-friendly sitcom that follows the everyday life of a "step" family (mom, kid, stepdad).
Pitigliano
Feature length hostage thriller. A young Jewish woman vacationing in Italy struggles for survival when her tour group is taken hostage by antisemitic extremists in the cavernous ruins of Pitigliano's medieval Jewish quarter.
High Office
Feature length comedy. The U.S. President must distance himself from his daughter after she's caught smoking weed. But when he accidentally eats one of her pot brownies, they have to work together to get through the day without destroying his political career.
ESCHER
Feature script by Jason A. Kessler
ESCHER is a part-fact/part-fiction exploration of the possibility that famed artist M.C. Escher collaborated with the Dutch Resistance to fight the Nazi occupation of Holland during WWII. The story shines a spotlight on Escher's unconventional artistic approach and his incomparable mind as he struggles between his desire to keep his family safe and his need to fight back when those around him are threatened. The film provides a dramatic canvas to bring Escher's art to life and evoke his trippy visual style.
Fighting Antisemitism
Jason provides training, lectures, and consulting services related to antisemitism.
"
Jason did a phenomenal job speaking to our organization about antisemitism. He tackles a very serious topic in a way that appeals to people of all different backgrounds and beliefs. I would absolutely recommend him and believe that his message is extremely important for people to hear!
"
– Dr. Taylor Novice, Chief Resident in Dermatology at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan.
Jason's writing on antisemitism has appeared in the Jewish Journal. He completed the American Jewish Committee's Access Leadership Fellowship, an eight-month advocacy training program, as well as the Anti-Defamation League's Glass Leadership Institute. He served on ADL's NY regional Next Generation Board of Directors and served as co-chair of the NY region's Government and Public Affairs Committee.
Jew or False
Jew or False is a web series hosted by Jason A. Kessler that fights antisemitism using truth and humor. It's kind of like The Daily Show, but Jewier. The series won the American Jewish Committee's 2021 Disrupt Antisemitism competition.
Watch all episodes at jeworfalse.com
Follow @jeworfalse
Press
Manya Brachear Pashman, Belle Yoeli, November 11, 2021
Danny Munso, May 21, 2019
Laura Powers, January, 2018
Carson Reeves, July 23, 2019
Mark Harris, December 17, 2018
Mary Kate Sheridan,
April 20, 2018