Photo by Nikki Jackson
jamil.mcginnis@gmail.com | @jamiltmcginnis
His work has screened globally including the Museum of Modern Art, PS1, Film at Lincoln Center, Walker Arts Center, Locarno Film Fest, Cannes’ Directors Fortnight, BFI, Telluride, New York Film Festival and Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival—where Gramercy, a film he co-wrote and co-directed, won the 2021 Labo Competition’s Grand Prix. Jamil’s latest short, as time passes, world premiered at 2022 Cannes’ Directors Fortnight followed by the New York Film Festival, MoMA PS1’s “Open House” and BAM Film’s February 2024 slate.
Under the moniker of Seneca Village Pictures, Jamil and filmmaking partner, Pat Heywood, are currently in production for their first experimental feature, Waking Up In a Dream (FKA In Search of Time). The project is a Rooftop Films Filmmakers Grant recipient, Hampton Screenwriting Lab participant and Gotham Week’s 2022 Project Market selection. Jamil is also a recipient of 2024 Rooftop Films Filmmakers Arri Camera Grant for Wahnish Keeps Me Free, a hybrid feature centered around the memory and music of his HBCU alma mater, Florida A&M University. Jamil co-founded a book publishing house with Max Friedman called KNOW Publishing, exploring the ephemeral nature of memory and meaning through printed matter.
SELECT SCREENINGS / FESTIVALS
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
Museum of Modern Art PS1 (MoMA PS1) w/ SHASHA Movies
Locarno Film Fest
Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival
Cannes’ Directors Fortnight
Film at Lincoln Center
Brooklyn Arts & Music (BAM) Film’s Slate w/ Alfreda’s Cinema
New York Film Festival
Walker Arts Center
Telluride
BFI
Group Show, Curator. Weeksville Heritage Museum, Brooklyn NY
Chelsea Contemporary Art Group Show. Agora Gallery, NY
AWARDS
Rooftop Filmmakers Grant Arri Camera Fund, 2024
Rooftop Filmmakers Grant TCS Camera Fund, 2021
Labo Competition Grand Prix, Gramercy - Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival
Special Mention, as time passes - Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival
Vimeo Staff Pick: Best of the Month
Silver Hugo, Gramercy - Chicago Int’l Film Festival
PRESS
Indie Wire (Rooftop Films Filmmakers Fund, 2024)
Filmmaker Mag (Rockaway Film Festival Installation)
Variety (Rooftop Films Filmmakers Fund, 2021)
Variety (Don’t miss Locarno’s Shorts)
BAM - “Most Powerful, a message to the Black man”
EDUCATION
BSc in Finance
SBI, Florida A&M University, 2015
EXPERIENCE
KNOW Publishing / Co-founder
2020 - Current
Seneca Village / Director, Co-founder
2019 - Current
The SpringHill Company - Robot / Senior Producer
2024 - Current
Spotify / Senior Producer
2022 - 2023
EA Sports, Madden & FIFA / Producer
2020 - 2021
Droga5 / Producer
2015 - 2017