Jen Heck facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jen Heck
Born	Jenifer Heck Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation	Film director, producer, screenwriter, film editor
Years active	2000–present

Jen Heck is an American writer, director, and producer. She is famous for making award-winning films. Her movies have been shown at big film festivals. These include the Sundance Film Festival and the Hamptons International Film Festival. Her stories often have unique characters and explore themes of friendship. They also look at how young women connect with each other.

Jen Heck's films often mix old videos or pictures with new material. This creates a special and artistic look.

Her current project is a documentary called "The Promised Band." It's about women in Israel and Palestine. They start a pretend band to explore their friendships. The band shows how society struggles. When the women succeed, the film suggests that women can help bring peace. "The Promised Band" won Best Documentary at the Cinequest Film Festival in March 2016. It also won the Canon Filmmaker Award.

Heck has won many other awards and nominations. These include honors from New York Women in Film and Television and the Iris Prize.

She has also worked as a camera person and producer for TV channels. These include MTV, VH1, and Bravo. She also learned from directors on TV shows like Dexter and Leverage.

In 2008, Jen Heck traveled to Mount Everest, the world's tallest mountain. She lived with a climbing team. This was part of her research for a future movie.

She lives in New York City and also spends time in Los Angeles, California.

Early Life and Education

Jen Heck grew up in Massachusetts and Singapore. She went to the Singapore American School. As a teenager, she appeared in national TV commercials. In the early 2000s, she started working behind the camera.

In 1998, the Travel Channel show American Journey featured her. The show followed her as she rode her bike in the Boston-New York AIDSRide. This is a yearly bike event that raises money for charity.

She studied film at two well-known universities. She went to New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. She also studied at Columbia University School of the Arts.

Working with Others

Jen Heck has worked with many talented people. Recently, she helped create a short film about musician Prince's secret charity work. This film included President Barack Obama and other famous people.

Around 2000, Heck was a DJ in a band called Morplay. She performed with MCs Cazwell and Crasta Yo for almost two years. Then she left the band to focus on making films. In the same year, she created the 60 Second Film Festival. This was the first film festival held completely online.

In 2001, she helped start a company called Charged Animation in Brooklyn. She worked with other filmmakers there.

In 2004, Heck worked with artist Eve Sussman. They made a film called 89 Seconds at Alcazar. It was based on a famous painting from 1656. This film was shown at the 2004 Whitney Biennial. It was later bought by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City.

In 2006, Heck wrote a short film called Hold Up with Madeleine Olnek. This film won awards and was shown at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. It also won the Audience Award at Newfest.

Heck has worked with cinematographer Martina Radwan on several films. These include Airplanes, Salamander, and The Promised Band. They get support from companies like Panavision and Canon for their film projects.

In 2008, she taught film for a short time at Manhattanville College.

She is currently working on a longer movie version of her short film "Salamander."

Films by Jen Heck

• The Promised Band, 2016, a documentary film. It won Best Documentary Feature at the Cinequest Film Festival.
• Salamander, 2009, a short film. It won the Audience Award at the Columbia University Film Festival.
• Airplanes, 2007, a short film. It won Best Short Film at the Provincetown International Film Festival.
• Hold Up, 2006, a short film (she was the writer). It was shown at the Sundance Film Festival. It also won Best Short Film at Newfest.
• The Last Days of Leni Riefenstahl, 2005, a short film. It won Best Short Film at The Big Muddy Film Festival.
• 89 Seconds at Alcazar, 2004. It was shown at the 2004 Whitney Biennial.