A poetic response to experiences of misogyny that continue to shape the film industry, Jess Stephens' His Lens looks to the possibility of creative freedom away from restrictive and oppressive power dynamics.
Produced using traditional animation techniques with pastels and torn paper, the film is based on a text written by the artist's sister, Rebecca Stephens.
Jess Stephens, His Lens (2026), stills
His Lens (2026), excerpt
A graduate in animation from UCA Farnham, Jess Stephens specialises in 2D animation from digital approaches to traditional materials such as oil pastels, pencils and paint. Stephens' work is informed by poetry and oral history, and is inspired by the possibilities of animation as a tool for documentary filmmaking. With few photographs or videos from their mother’s childhood, Windrush (2022) used animation to fill the gaps to tell a moving story of migration from Barbados to the UK and life in the diaspora.
Their films have screened at festivals including London International Animation Festival, Student World Impact Film Festival (Ontario) and Reel to Reality Film Festival. Jess co-founded the animation collective Lavender Haus, with whom they have directed several short films.
Portrait of Jess Stephens. Courtesy of the artist.
FLAMIN Animations is a commissioning programme for early-career Black and global majority* animators living in England. Launched by Film London Artists' Moving Image Network (FLAMIN) in 2021, the programme aims to support artist animators as they take their first steps into a career working with the moving image, with development support and funding for a new work.
FLAMIN Animations is presented in partnership with the award winning London-based animation studio Blinkink.
