Slamdance — Spotlight Award
JessZilla
Jesselyn Silva is a three-time national boxing champion with Olympic dreams, and her father Pedro is in her corner every step of the way. But at fifteen, a cancer diagnosis changes what it means for the family to fight. JessZilla is a powerful coming-of-age story about family, resilience, and what it truly means to be a champion.
Feature Trailer
Where to Watch
Winner — Slamdance: Spotlight Award · Fargo: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Documentary
Jury Special Mention — Atlanta · Best Cinematography — Rhode Island Int’l · World Premiere — Big Sky · IDFA · DOC NYC · Nashville · 2025 American Film Showcase
DirectorEmily Sheskin
ProducerBen Kainz
Executive ProducersVERSUS, Mark Grande, Justin Barnes, Rob Meyers, Emily Sheskin
CinematographerPaul Yee
EditorKate Turinski
ComposerPietro Milanesi
SubjectsJesselyn Silva, Pedro Silva
DistributionVOD via Monkey Wrench Films — Apple, Amazon, Tubi, Kanopy, Google Play, YouTube
Press
- Cinema Femme — “This Was the Fight: Emily Sheskin on JessZilla” (2025)
- NYWIFT — “NYWIFT at DOC NYC: In Conversation with Emily Sheskin” (2023)
- Film Focus Online — “A Powerful and Deeply Moving Portrait of a Real-Life Hero”
- Sportsish — “Perhaps the Most Important Sports Documentary You Could Ever Watch”
- WBC Boxing — “Fighting for More Tomorrows: WBC & CURE Childhood Cancer Partner with JessZilla”