Jess Kelly is a BAFTA-nominated documentary filmmaker whose work reflects a steadfast commitment to justice, integrity and the God-given value of human life.
In 2021, she earned a BAFTA nomination for The Schools That Chain Boys which uncovers systemic child abuse by sheikhs inside Islamic schools in Sudan. The film won major awards including the Royal Television Society Award, an Amnesty Award, and the ARIJ Gold Award. It received a special commendation at the Grierson Awards along with a Peabody nomination.
Her 2019 BBC investigation, Silicon Valley’s Online Slave Market, exposed the illegal online trafficking of domestic workers and followed the story of a 16-year-old girl being sold into slavery in Kuwait. Viewed over 5 million times and screened at the United Nations and in the British Parliament, the film helped bring global attention to the modern-day slavery still faced by many.
Jess has also made several documentaries for BBC Three, including Inside the Real Saudi Arabia: Why I Had to Leave (2019), continuing her mission to confront injustice and give a voice to those who are too often silenced.