Even In Death

Hi! I’m Jasmine Gates, an independent filmmaker majoring in Film and Video Studies at George Mason University, set to graduate in May of 2022.

Although I absolutely love film, my love of filmmaking didn’t start from movies but instead from a love of books. Growing up, I was always longing for a way to connect and understand others and have others understand and connect to me. For a long time, that need went unsatisfied, but then I began to read books and the world seemed to open up around me. I began to read and write tirelessly by the age of 12, and for a while, that satisfied me, but then, with the sudden boom of book to movie adaptations, I realized my love of stories didn’t solely reside on the page, but also on the screen. At 17, I wrote, directed, and shot my first short film, and ever since then, I’ve continued to write and direct films that not only resonate with the beauty and honesty of visual storytelling but also the groundedness and nuance that lives within books.

During my time at Mason, I’ve written and directed four short films, including my debut film Love, Your Brother, Lukas, which received recognition at George Mason's Best at Mason showcase and was screened at both the Virginia Film Festival and the Washington West Film Festival in Fall of 2019. In 2021, I was one of three students selected by my university to apply for the Princess Grace Award for Film. My current projects include What We Leave Behind and Even in Death, these films showcase my ability to conquer complex themes ranging from men’s mental health, grief, and guilt to themes of family, forgiveness, and sisterhood.

In the near future, I want to continue to work in the realms of directing, writing, producing, and casting. Since I’m eager to learn, I hope to intern in writer’s rooms and casting agencies in order to gain more experience with industry-level development and I hope to continue to work on film sets in any capacity I can!