My background weaves fiction, nonfiction and hybrid cinema; poetic visual language and a commitment to ethical storytelling. My work revolves around memory, gender, identity, social violence, resilience, and the relationship between body, land and image.
About
Jessica Villamil, AMC – Apertura DOP, is a Mexican director of photography trained at ENAC, with over a decade of experience in documentary and fiction filmmaking. She is recognized for her authorial approach, technical rigor, and commitment to social, territorial, and memory-based narratives.
She has served as director of photography on widely awarded and internationally exhibited documentary feature films such as Flores de la llanura (Ariel Award, 2022), Tan cerca de las nubes (Ojo Award at FICM, 2024 Emmy nomination), Travesías a los confines, and En el murmullo del viento. Her work has been selected at festivals including Morelia, DocsMX, Hot Docs, Visions du Réel, Cairo, Big Sky, and Toulouse.
In fiction, she was the director of photography of the feature film Vainilla, directed by Mayra Hermosillo, selected for Giornate degli Autori at the 2025 Venice Film Festival, winner at the Adelaide Film Festival and the Audience Award at FICM, and nominated for Best Cinematography at the Autrici Under 40 Award. The film was presented by Guillermo del Toro at GLAFF in Los Angeles.
Her career also includes work in series, music videos, commercials, and on platforms such as Netflix, Amazon, and VIX, as well as prior experience as a colorist, DIT, and camera operator, reinforcing her comprehensive command of the cinematic process.
She is a member of AMC and Apertura, was previously selected for Berlinale Talents Guadalajara, and in 2026 will participate in Berlinale Talents in Berlin, further consolidating her international profile.
