rhys marc jones
writer / director
Raised in the North of England by his Irish mother and Welsh father, Jones' interest in film was sparked at an early age when his mother would record late night movies on VHS and hold them hostage as behavioural incentive. This would backfire when she was called into primary school to explain why Rhys, only seven, had told a classmate, 'you're terminated, f*cker!'.
Though his original enrolment at University College London was to study Mathematics his passion for cinema lead him to drop out and enrol in cinematography and stop-motion animation at the Northern Film School, Leeds, UK before being accepted into the Graduate MFA filmmaking program at NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
While at Tisch, Jones was awarded the BBC America BAFTA NY Scholarship followed by back-to-back BAFTA Los Angeles Scholarships in 2016-2017 and 2017 - 2018.
During matriculation Jones studied/mentored under acclaimed filmmakers such as Spike Lee (Do The Right Thing, 1989, Malcolm X, 1992) , Todd Solondz (Welcome to the Dollhouse, 1996, Happiness, 1998) and Frederick Elmes ASC (Eraserhead, 1977, Blue Velvet, 1986).
As a Writer/Director, Jones' style and subject matter merges elements of social realism with intimate character studies to tell stories that resonate with the common struggles of identity, awareness and acceptance.
AWARDS/HIGHLIGHTS
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BOUNDARIES (2018)
Official Selection
OUTFest Fusion People of Color Film Festival, 2018
Palm Springs Short Film Festival & Market, 2018
No Budge, 2018
NewFest LGBTQ+ Film Festival
BURN BRIDGE (2017)
Awards
Hamptons International Film Festival - Student Film Award
BIFA 2018 Best Short Film Longlisted
Official Selection
BFI Flare LGBTQ+ Film Festival, 2018
European Independent Film Festival, 2018
Toronto InsideOut Film Festival, 2018
Sarasota Film Festival, 2018
Leeds International Film Festival, 2017
LA Film Festival, 2018
Norwich Film Festival, 2018
InDPanda, Hong Kong LGBT Film Festival, 2018
Rome International Film Festival, 2018.
INDIVIDUAL
Clive Davis Award for Excellence in Film in Music 2019
NYU Tisch Graduate Filmmaking MFA
writing and directing 2018
BAFTA Los Angeles Mark Piggott Scholarship 2018 - 2019
NISI MASA European Short Pitch Program, 2018
BAFTA New York Scholar: BBC America
Diversity Scholar 2016 -2017
BAFTA Los Angeles Scholar 2017 - 2018
Tisch School of the Arts Department Scholarship 2016 - 2017
Maurice-Kanbar Scholarship 2014 - 2015