Jeff Lester, a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, has been a prominent figure in the film industry since 1996, garnering multiple awards for his outstanding work. His professional journey began when he was recruited by Robert Redford's Sundance Channel to direct and produce segments of Sundance Dailies, a half-hour program highlighting the Sundance Film Festival, which aired on both the Sundance Channel and Showtime.
Building on his relationship with the Sundance Channel, Lester created, wrote, produced, and directed The Shorts Show, a series pilot that focused on the art of short filmmaking, hosted by Oscar winner Laura Dern. This marked the beginning of a long-standing collaboration with the Sundance Channel.
Lester's entry into the world of filmmaking was marked by his debut short film, The Last Real Cowboys, which starred Academy Award and Golden Globe winner Billy Bob Thornton and legendary actor Mickey Jones. Jeff directed, produced, and co-authored the storyline 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 storylined 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.
Lester's feature film, Broken, starring Heather Graham and Jeremy Sisto, was created from an original story of his 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.
In addition to his work in feature films, Lester has also directed numerous commercials, music videos, branded content, and live multi-camera events, winning many awards for his work.
