Jessie Beers-Altman
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ABOUT

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I am an independent documentary filmmaker and editor. I am based in Central Pennsylvania, and have lived in Paris, Washington DC, San Francisco, and Boston.

I have been working in film and video production since 2004. As a storyteller, I focus on human-interest stories about people who are marginalized, march to a different beat, or simply seek to exist outside of their prescribed roles. I was recently awarded a pre-production grant from the LEF Foundation for my film, Inherited, a story about the complicated journey of sorting through my late artist father's estate.

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An avid runner and marathoner, I have made several films on running-related endeavors. My short film Going the Distance (2016) profiled a trio of competitive sprinters competing at the prestigious Penn Relays in Philadelphia. The twist? The competitors are all in their 80s and 90s, competing in the Masters Men’s 75-and-older 100m dash. The film placed 2nd in NBC Sports’ inaugural Cptr’d Filmmaking Competition, and won the Grand Jury Award for documentary shorts at the Independent Film Festival of Boston.

​My first running-related documentary, The Spirit of a Runner (2009), followed ultrarunner Suprabha Beckjord as she trained for and competed in the 2008 Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3,100-Mile Race. The film portrayed the grueling reality of running 50 to 80 miles per day around a single city block in the world’s longest-certified race.​

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In addition to my work in production, I am an experienced educator, having lectured at Boston University, Brandeis University, Emerson College, and Penn State University. I am a former Board Member of the Non-Fiction Cartel, a working collaborative that supports short form documentary media-making in New England, and the Executive Director of Harold Altman Inc., the estate of my late father, artist Harold Altman. 

​I hold degrees in English and Women’s Studies from Georgetown University, and I have an MFA in Film Production from Boston University. As the daughter of an artist father and musician mother, I picked a career in film to uphold the family tradition of working in the arts. I live in Central Pennsylvania with my husband and two sons.
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© 2022 Jessie Beers-Altman
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • FILMS
  • WPSU
  • VIMEO
  • CONTACT
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