Biography

Jessica Earnshaw is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and photojournalist whose work explores the intersections of criminal justice, familial relationships and women. Her photography has been featured in leading publications including National Geographic, The Marshall Project, Mother Jones Magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, amongst others.

Earnshaw's debut feature documentary, Jacinta (Hulu/ABC News, 2021), is a portrait of generational trauma and addiction, following a mother and daughter incarcerated together. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, where Earnshaw was honored with the Albert Maysles Award for Best New Documentary Director in 2020. Jacinta went on to receive nominations from the International Documentary Association for Best Feature Documentary and Best Director, as well as two Cinema Eye Honors nominations.

Her follow-up feature, Baby Doe (Impact Partners, 2025), premiered in competition at the 2025 SXSW Film Festival. The film follows the case of Gail Ritchey, a woman from rural Ohio whose life is upended when DNA evidence links her to the death of her newborn thirty years after the incident. The film examines the psychological phenomenon of pregnancy denial and explores the personal, legal, and societal ramifications surrounding Ritchey's arrest and trial.

Named to DOC NYC's 40 Under 40 list in 2020, Earnshaw is a graduate of the International Center of Photography's photojournalism program in New York and previously worked as a junior photo editor at TIME Magazine. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
- IMDb mini biography by: Anonymous