Jess Kelly (They/Them) is an award-winning short film producer based in Glasgow.
An RTS Scotland Award winner and BAFTA Scotland nominee, Jess’s work centres on grounded, emotionally resonant social stories that offer sharp commentary on the world around us. Their graduation short film Care directed by Jagoda Tłok, screened widely across the UK and European festival circuit – earning special mentions, nominations, and awards at BAFTA and BIFA-qualifying festivals including Leeds International Film Festival and Glasgow Short Film Festival. Care went on to win three Royal Television Society Awards and receive a BAFTA Scotland nomination.
Their most recent projects include Ghosts – a BFI network and Screen Scotland fiction x documentary hybrid project, which is now in its final stages of post-production. As well as I Before E – a narrative short shot on film on the Isle of Skye.
In spring 2024, Jess produced Code of Conduct, a short drama commissioned by Screen Scotland and GMAC Little Pictures, which is now on its festival run, playing at BIFA and BAFTA-qualifying festivals such as London Short Film Festival 2026.
Jess was part of the 2025 Glasgow Film Festival New Talent Mentorship Scheme, a programme which marks Jess as one of the young rising producers in Scotland.
A graduate of Screen Academy Scotland (2023), Jess was one of 12 selected for the RTS & STV Student Bursary in 2019, and in 2024 was honoured as the RTS Patrons Dinner Graduate Spokesperson.
Alongside their producing work, Jess works as an Assistant Script Editor, recently working on HBO and BBC’s Half Man, as well as series 3 of BBC’s Vigil. Before this Jess worked as an Assistant Director, and brings with them 4 years of on-set expertise.
Jess believes that people are the most important part of the process and that making a safe and collaborative atmosphere is key to this.
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