London-based filmmaker Jess Kohl may be in development on her first feature Petrol (working title), but it was only while studying illustration at Central Saint Martins that she realised her true calling.
“I found myself responding to all the briefs I was being given with film,” says Kohl, who switched her course to moving image and went on to complete an MA in cinematography at Goldsmiths before making the leap into directing: “I wanted to be steering the overall vision, rather than the camera”.
After a series of short films — including Nirvana (2018), a documentary set in a transgender community in India and the Grierson-nominated Disciples (2021) about rival skinhead factions in Malaysia — Kohl’s breakthrough came with 2022 documentary A Mouthful Of Petrol, about a father and son in the world of banger racing, which won the Golden Frog for best documentary short at Camerimage.
The latter short provides the basis for Kohl’s debut feature, a hybrid fiction/non-fiction film backed by Film4 that expands on the story of one of the two main characters (who will play himself), alongside actors in the other roles. “In between real life and fiction is a space I’m fascinated by,” says Kohl, whose influences include Gus Van Sant’s My Own Private Idaho and Jim Jarmusch’s early work. “Stories about the human condition told through a poetic lens,” adds the writer/director, who is working with producer Shirley O’Connor with a view to shooting next summer.
Looking ahead, Kohl is keen to keep making films that “amplify underrepresented voices in a collaborative way”. She has the seed of an idea for a project around the theme of queer parenting.
“As a queer filmmaker, there’s an expectation to make films about certain themes, but I also like the idea of bringing a queer lens to unexpected subjects, like the hyper-masculine world of banger racing,” says Kohl, who continues her day job creating visually ambitious commercials and photography.
“I’m told my films have a distinctive look and feel,” she adds. “This comes as much from the worlds I’m exploring as from an understanding of the paints available to me through my background.”
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