Photo by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Jacob LaMendola is an award-winning US based filmmaker. His first documentary short, ANOSMIA, explores the lives of people who like Jacob, are unable to smell. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and was published as an Op-Doc in The New York Times.
Inspired by a piece of IMDB trivia, Jacob spent five years creating LONG SHOT. The film tells the story of Juan Catalan, whose alibi to escape a murder charge involved an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. In 2017, LONG SHOT premiered at the Telluride Film Festival and was released as a Netflix Original Documentary. Noted for its warm, humanistic approach, Telluride’s festival director praised LONG SHOT as,”a movie that I will probably watch a good couple of times before the end of my life.”
In 2023, Jacob was selected as one of fifty filmmakers from around the world to attend the CREATOR’S LAB under the mentorship of Palme d'Or winning director Apichatpong Weerasethakul. The film created during the lab is currently in post-production.
In 2024, Jacob’s short screenplay, CATHEDRAL, FLORIDA won the Make It Short Pitching Forum at Fest |New Directors New Films Festival. This win secured the early involvement of Bleat Post Production, who has worked with some of Jacob’s favorite filmmakers. Currently, Jacob is in pre-production.