Jessy Moussallem

Born and raised in Beirut, Jessy Moussallem wrote and directed Roman for the pop band Mashrou’ Leila in 2017, a film that included one hundred cast members in an ode to the strength and grace of Arab women. The film trended as number one on YouTube, was nominated at the UKMVAs and the Cannes Glass Lions, won a Gold Screen for Changing the World Frame by Frame at the Young Director Award, and was featured in the 2018 Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors’ Showcase curated by Ridley Scott, who picked it out as one of his five most inspiring films: “Seeing narratives about people being true to themselves - and seeing their joy while doing so - is crucial. Moussallem delivers a truly special short that gives viewers a taste of just that with striking imagery and dance all while having subverting expectations for where it seems like it is going.”

She went on to film her native Lebanon for Agoria’s song Embrace and Heart of Sky, a short film for Damian Lazarus. She has also directed for Lancôme, Hermès, L'Oréal, YSL Beauty and Médecins du Monde. Her work is defined by the raw humanity of her subjects, rich emotion and a quiet insistence on freedom.

In 2026, her short film Faux Bijoux, produced with Vixens and shot by Robbie Ryan, premiered at Sundance and screened at Clermont-Ferrand. It won the Grand Prix at the Brussels Short Film Festival and the Silver Dragon in Kraków. Conceived as a proof of concept, it paves the way for her debut feature of the same name, supported by the Doha Film Institute.