Jesse Vogelaar

Jesse debuted as a baby on a small farm in Cambridge, Aotearoa/New Zealand to two newly arrived Dutch immigrants. He spent much of his childhood charting small islands and playing competitive marbles in the North Island. At age 8 he dialled the first production company he found in the phone book to pitch an epic sci-fi trilogy. The deal fell through and the story was long lost on a corrupted floppy disk. He later grew taller and queerer and picked up a camera to recreate this dream ever since.

Vowing to never lose anything ever again, he has documented and archived every shower thought and life altering moment meticulously. In 2016 his short film, "You Lose" - went viral and Junkee called it, "Australia's Greatest Work of Art". Since then he has adjusted to a life of hyperbole and "ha-ha" funny little movies.

Jesse has made a mark with a signature style of off-beat and absurd short-form work, coupled with a relentless need to make more all of the time. Driven by a desire to explore social norms within upended circumstances or otherness, his style taps into the memories and thoughts from growing up in a small town in New Zealand—a view of the world that is often janky and tied to imaginative logic, while finding human connection along the way.

His narrative shorts have screened on his home turf at Sydney Film Festival and travelled from Palm Springs International Shortfest to NOWNESS and PÖFF. They’ve also been picked up for broadcast on SBS and CANAL+.


For Jesse's availability and enquiries, contact:

Matt McKenzie
+64 21 071 2594
[email protected]