Jess Search was a co-founder and CEO of Doc Society, a non-profit organization that supports documentary filmmakers and social justice campaigns. She was also a renowned producer and director of documentaries such as Virunga, Dirty Wars, Living With the Tudors, and Queendom. She passed away on July 31, 2023, at the age of 54, after being diagnosed with a brain tumor a month earlier.
Early Life and Education
Jess Search was born on May 15, 1969, in London, England. She attended Cathedral and John Connon School in Mumbai, India, where she developed an interest in dance and theatre. She later studied bio-genetic engineering at Tufts University in Boston, USA, but switched to economics and graduated with a bachelor’s degree. She rejected an offer from Morgan Stanley, an American investment banking company, to pursue her passion for filmmaking.
Career and Achievements
Jess Search began her career as a journalist and worked for various media outlets such as The Guardian, The Independent, and Channel 4. She also co-founded FourDocs, an online platform for short documentaries, and Shooting People, a network for independent filmmakers.
In 2005, she co-founded Doc Society (formerly known as BRITDOC Foundation) with Beadie Finzi, Maxyne Franklin, Megha Gupta, Sandra Whipham, and Shanida Scotland. Doc Society is a non-profit organization that provides funding, training, mentoring, and distribution support to documentary filmmakers and social justice campaigns around the world. Some of the notable projects that Doc Society has supported include The White Helmets, Citizenfour, The Square, Knock Down the House, and The Edge of Democracy.
Jess Search was also a prolific producer and director of documentaries herself. She produced Virunga (2014), a Netflix original documentary about the conservation efforts in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and won a Peabody Award and an Emmy Award. She also produced Dirty Wars (2013), a documentary about the covert operations of the US military in Afghanistan, Yemen, and Somalia. The film was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and won a Sundance Film Festival Award.
She directed Living With the Tudors (2007), a documentary about historical re-enactors who live as if they were in 16th-century England. She also directed Queendom (2019), a documentary about female rappers in Senegal who use hip-hop as a tool for empowerment and social change.
Parents & Siblings
Jess Search was a documentary producer and advocate who co-founded Doc Society, a non-profit organization that supports documentary filmmakers and social justice campaigns. She passed away on July 31, 2023, at the age of 54, after being diagnosed with a brain tumor in June 2023.
According to some sources, Jess Search was born on May 15, 1969, in London, England. She grew up in a creative and progressive family. Her father was a journalist and her mother was a teacher. She had a sister named Lucy who is also a filmmaker.
Personal Life, Husband & Kids
Jess Search was in a long-term relationship with Beadie Finzi, who is also a documentary producer and co-founder of Doc Society. They had two children together, Ella and Ben, who are now teenagers.
Jess Search was a beloved partner, parent, friend, mentor, and leader in the documentary community. She produced and championed films that challenged the status quo, exposed injustice, and inspired change. She also created and supported platforms and programs that helped documentaries reach wider audiences and create social impact. She was known for her passion, creativity, generosity, and vision in the documentary field.
Brain Tumor & Death Cause
On June 30, 2023, Jess Search announced on social media that she had been diagnosed with a brain tumor and that she was stepping back from Doc Society to focus on her health and family. She wrote: “Today I am sharing that I’m currently under the care of a neurosurgeon because like 300,000 others every year around the world, I’ve been diagnosed with a brain tumor. I’m stepping back from Doc Society — after 18 years of nonstop creative collaboration, dedicated craft, joyous partying, and fierce camaraderie.”
She continued: “You may know that for years six women directors – Beadie, Maxyne, Megha, Sandra, Shanida, and myself – have been leading the organization in a flat power-sharing model. So I can do this, knowing that someone else will step in to be unfeasibly late for meetings and break the printer constantly.”
She passed away on July 31, 2023, surrounded by her loved ones. Her death was mourned by many people in the documentary community and beyond. The directors of Doc Society issued a joint statement saying: “A beloved partner and parent, a brilliant friend, an industry catalyst, master campaigner, consummate producer, preternatural public convener, and mentor to many, Jess leaves a global family who we know will continue to speak out on injustice, challenge the status quo and live lives of purpose with love in their hearts. We consider ourselves to be Lucky Fuckers to stand beside all of you.”
Jess Search WIKI/BIO
| Name | Jess Search |
| Birth Date | May 15, 1969 |
| Birth Place | London, England |
| Death Date | July 31, 2023 |
| Death Cause | Brain tumor |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Documentary filmmaker |
| Spouse | Finzi Kontini |
| Children | Ella and Ben |
| Net Worth | Estimated at $200K USD |
| searchjess | |
| JessSearch | |
| Homepage | Dreshare.com |
12 Facts About Jess Search
- She was born in London but spent part of her childhood in Mumbai, India.
- She studied bio-genetic engineering at Tufts University, but switched to economics and graduated with a bachelor’s degree.
- She rejected an offer from Morgan Stanley, an American investment banking company, to pursue her passion for filmmaking.
- She co-founded FourDocs, an online platform for short documentaries, and Shooting People, a network for independent filmmakers.
- She co-founded Doc Society, a non-profit organization that supports documentary filmmakers and social justice campaigns around the world.
- Jess Search produced Virunga, a Netflix original documentary about the conservation efforts in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and won a Peabody Award and an Emmy Award.
- She also produced Dirty Wars, a documentary about the covert operations of the US military in Afghanistan, Yemen, and Somalia. The film was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and won a Sundance Film Festival Award.
- She directed Living With the Tudors, a documentary about historical re-enactors who live as if they were in 16th-century England.
- Jess Search also directed Queendom, a documentary about female rappers in Senegal who use hip-hop as a tool for empowerment and social change.
- She was married to Finzi Kontini, an Italian composer and musician. They had two children, Ella and Ben.
- Jess was diagnosed with a brain tumor on June 30, 2023, and announced that she was stepping back from Doc Society to focus on her health and family.
- Jess passed away on July 31, 2023, surrounded by her loved ones. Her death was mourned by many people in the documentary community and beyond.
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