
Directing
Jessica Yu
Born
1966-02-14 (60)
Place of birth
New York City, New York, USA
Known for
Directing
Credits
27 titles
Jessica Yu (Chinese: 虞琳敏; pinyin: Yú Línmǐn) is an American film director, writer, producer, and editor. She has directed documentary films, dramatic films, and television shows. Yu won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject in 1996 for Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien (1996). Yu's film Last Call at the Oasis (2012) is based on Alex Prud'homme's Ripple Effect. Her more recent films have been Misconception (2014), ForEveryone.Net (2016), a documentary film about the inventor of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, and a Netflix comedy Maria Bamford: Old Baby (2017). In 2019, Yu was nominated for an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Direction for a Limited Seri…
Known for
7.1An annual American awards ceremony honoring cinematic achievements in the film industry. The various category winners are awarded a copy of a statuette, officially the Academy Award of Merit, that is better known by its nickname Oscar.
The Oscars
1953
6.7A brilliant but tightly wound, gameshow-obsessed young woman, Anne, and her estranged, train-wreck of a sister, Jenny, must work together to help cover their mother's gambling debts. When Anne's beloved dog is kidnapped, they set out on a wild, cross-country trek to get the cash the only way they know how: by turning Anne into a bona-fide gameshow champion.
Quiz Lady
2023
6.2Kevin, Nick, and Joe Jonas face a series of escalating obstacles as they struggle to make it from London to New York in time to spend Christmas with their families.
A Very Jonas Christmas Movie
2025
7.0The Jon Stewart Show was a late night talk show hosted by comedian Jon Stewart. The program premiered on MTV in 1993 as a thirty-minute daily program. At the end of its first season, MTV's then-corporate sibling Paramount Television retooled the program, extended it to sixty minutes, and used it as a replacement for the cancelled Arsenio Hall Show for the 1994-95 television season. While it garnered high ratings on MTV, in fact becoming its second most popular show behind Beavis and Butt-Head, The Jon Stewart Show was not a success in syndication and was cancelled in 1995.
The Jon Stewart Show
1993
7.2In the Realms of the Unreal is a documentary about the reclusive Chicago-based artist Henry Darger. Henry Darger was so reclusive that when he died his neighbors were surprised to find a 15,145-page manuscript along with hundreds of paintings depicting The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What is Known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glodeco-Angelinnian War Storm, Cased by the Child Slave Rebellion.
In the Realms of the Unreal
2004
3.3A middle-aged man sets the table for two. His sister drops by to give him their late mother's wedding ring, and flowers for the table for this special night. He changes his clothes several times and tries out various ways to propose marriage.
Better Late
1996
Film credits
Series credits
7.1An annual American awards ceremony honoring cinematic achievements in the film industry. The various category winners are awarded a copy of a statuette, officially the Academy Award of Merit, that is better known by its nickname Oscar.
The Oscars
1953
7.0The Jon Stewart Show was a late night talk show hosted by comedian Jon Stewart. The program premiered on MTV in 1993 as a thirty-minute daily program. At the end of its first season, MTV's then-corporate sibling Paramount Television retooled the program, extended it to sixty minutes, and used it as a replacement for the cancelled Arsenio Hall Show for the 1994-95 television season. While it garnered high ratings on MTV, in fact becoming its second most popular show behind Beavis and Butt-Head, The Jon Stewart Show was not a success in syndication and was cancelled in 1995.
The Jon Stewart Show
1993
Behind the camera
6.7A brilliant but tightly wound, gameshow-obsessed young woman, Anne, and her estranged, train-wreck of a sister, Jenny, must work together to help cover their mother's gambling debts. When Anne's beloved dog is kidnapped, they set out on a wild, cross-country trek to get the cash the only way they know how: by turning Anne into a bona-fide gameshow champion.
Quiz Lady
2023
6.2Kevin, Nick, and Joe Jonas face a series of escalating obstacles as they struggle to make it from London to New York in time to spend Christmas with their families.
A Very Jonas Christmas Movie
2025
7.2In the Realms of the Unreal is a documentary about the reclusive Chicago-based artist Henry Darger. Henry Darger was so reclusive that when he died his neighbors were surprised to find a 15,145-page manuscript along with hundreds of paintings depicting The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What is Known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glodeco-Angelinnian War Storm, Cased by the Child Slave Rebellion.
In the Realms of the Unreal
2004
7.2In the Realms of the Unreal is a documentary about the reclusive Chicago-based artist Henry Darger. Henry Darger was so reclusive that when he died his neighbors were surprised to find a 15,145-page manuscript along with hundreds of paintings depicting The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What is Known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glodeco-Angelinnian War Storm, Cased by the Child Slave Rebellion.
In the Realms of the Unreal
2004
3.3A middle-aged man sets the table for two. His sister drops by to give him their late mother's wedding ring, and flowers for the table for this special night. He changes his clothes several times and tries out various ways to propose marriage.
Better Late
1996
3.3A middle-aged man sets the table for two. His sister drops by to give him their late mother's wedding ring, and flowers for the table for this special night. He changes his clothes several times and tries out various ways to propose marriage.
Better Late
1996
5.9Streetwise swaggering Christopher "C-Dub" Wang is a suburban guy who waxes political on all things Asian American and clings to pro basketball pipe dreams. But when misfortune strikes his family, C-dub must overcome living at home, working a dead-end job and his worldly older brother, to run his Mom's ping pong classes and defend the family's athletic dynasty.
Ping Pong Playa
2008
5.9Streetwise swaggering Christopher "C-Dub" Wang is a suburban guy who waxes political on all things Asian American and clings to pro basketball pipe dreams. But when misfortune strikes his family, C-dub must overcome living at home, working a dead-end job and his worldly older brother, to run his Mom's ping pong classes and defend the family's athletic dynasty.
Ping Pong Playa
2008
6.9Jessica Yu's documentary explores the relationship between human life and Euripidean dramatic structure by weaving together the stories of four men: German terrorist, a bank robber, an "ex-gay" evangelist, and a martial arts student.
Protagonist
2007
6.9Jessica Yu's documentary explores the relationship between human life and Euripidean dramatic structure by weaving together the stories of four men: German terrorist, a bank robber, an "ex-gay" evangelist, and a martial arts student.
Protagonist
2007
5.2She's savagely upbeat. Lovably awkward. And full of surprises. A wildly funny trip through a one-of-a-kind comic mind.
Maria Bamford: Old Baby
2017
NRFocus Forward: Short Films, Big Ideas is an award-winning series of 30 three-minute stories about innovators—people who are reshaping the world through act or invention—directed by the world's most celebrated documentary filmmakers.
Focus Forward: Short Films, Big Ideas
2012
5.0For almost 50 years, the world's population has grown at an alarming rate, raising fears about strains on the Earth's resources. But how true are these claims? Taking cues from statistics guru Hans Rosling, Misconception offers a provocative glimpse at how the world—and women in particular— are tackling a subject at once personal and global. Following three individuals, director Jessica Yu focuses on the human implications of this highly charged political issue, inspiring a fresh look at the consequences of population growth. In English, Hindi, Mandarin, and Russian with subtitles.
Misconception
2014
5.0For almost 50 years, the world's population has grown at an alarming rate, raising fears about strains on the Earth's resources. But how true are these claims? Taking cues from statistics guru Hans Rosling, Misconception offers a provocative glimpse at how the world—and women in particular— are tackling a subject at once personal and global. Following three individuals, director Jessica Yu focuses on the human implications of this highly charged political issue, inspiring a fresh look at the consequences of population growth. In English, Hindi, Mandarin, and Russian with subtitles.
Misconception
2014
7.4Participant Media’s Last Call at the Oasis is a new documentary from Jessica Yu & Elise Pearlstein. Think water is an infinite resource? Think again.
Last Call at the Oasis
2011
Film by Jessica Yu
The Conductor
—
NRForeveryone.net connects the future of the web with the little-known story of its birth. In 1989, 33-year-old computer programmer Tim Berners-Lee invented the world wide web and his visionary decision to make it a free and accessible resource sparked a global revolution in communication. Tim has declared internet access a human right and has called for an “online Magna Carta” to protect privacy and free speech, extend connectivity to populations without access and maintain “One Web” for all. Tim’s dramatic story poses the question: will we fight for the web we want or let it be taken away?
Foreveryone.net
2016
6.5Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien is a 1996 American short documentary film directed by Jessica Yu. Mark O'Brien was a journalist and poet who lived in Berkeley, California. The documentary explored his spiritual struggle coping with his disability; he had to use an iron lung much of the time due to childhood polio. O'Brien died on 4 July 1999, from post-polio syndrome. It won an Oscar at the 69th Academy Awards in 1997 for Documentary Short Subject.
Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien
1996
6.5Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien is a 1996 American short documentary film directed by Jessica Yu. Mark O'Brien was a journalist and poet who lived in Berkeley, California. The documentary explored his spiritual struggle coping with his disability; he had to use an iron lung much of the time due to childhood polio. O'Brien died on 4 July 1999, from post-polio syndrome. It won an Oscar at the 69th Academy Awards in 1997 for Documentary Short Subject.
Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien
1996
6.5Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien is a 1996 American short documentary film directed by Jessica Yu. Mark O'Brien was a journalist and poet who lived in Berkeley, California. The documentary explored his spiritual struggle coping with his disability; he had to use an iron lung much of the time due to childhood polio. O'Brien died on 4 July 1999, from post-polio syndrome. It won an Oscar at the 69th Academy Awards in 1997 for Documentary Short Subject.
Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien
1996
7.0At the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens, New York, Dr. Janos Martin helps treat patients with severe mental illness by encouraging them to express themselves through art, whether in paint, sculpture, or collage. In vivid imagery, brilliant close-ups, and delicate conversations, director Jessica Yu presents the intricate, often visionary, work of these nontraditional artists, allowing the patients to describe their approaches and processes in their own, sometimes tangled, words. With patience and calm resilience, Dr. Martin offers feedback and ideas for best methods to the individual artists, who sometimes scream or are in tears, as he helps them displace their frustrations, and demons, onto canvas. Seen as a collective, these works illustrate the fine line between creativity and distress and illuminate the healing power of expression.
The Living Museum
1998
People (mostly children) try to keep a very nasty candy in their mouths for as long as possible. For some it's simply an interesting experience; for others, it's THE worst thing they've EVER tasted.
Sour Death Balls
1993
NRFor those without access to a simple toilet, poop can be poison. Businessman-turned-sanitation superhero Jack Sim fights this oft-neglected crisis affecting 2.6 billion people.
Meet Mr Toilet
2012
Film directed by Jessica Yu
Men of Reenaction
1996

