Jesse Epstein

That’s the title Jesse Epstein came up with for the in-the-works NCGS video about the girls’ school advantage. If you or any girl you know has ever been in a situation where it is vastly uncool to be smart, where in fact it is socially, the kiss of death to be smart, you know how important milieu can be for young girls and teens. Full disclosure: In sixth grade Peter Keese passed me a note saying: “Reference books should remember they are never taken out.” The sting of this was somewhat mitigated a week or so later when Billy Voiers proposed marriage at dancing class, and gave me a matchbox car to sweeten the deal. However I have never, never forgotten what that note did to my academic confidence. And in 9th grade I did go to a girls’ school (Concord Academy was all girls back then) where I thrived.

I saw some clips of Jesse’s films a while back, talked to her about her work in education, women’s issues, and especially body image, and realized that she was exactly the right person to make a clever, quirky, engaging video for us, using the recent UCLA research on the girls’ school edge. Her talent, skills, artistry and energy will thrill you, too, I am sure. Jesse Epstein was named by Filmmaker Magazine to be one of the “25 new faces of independent film” in 2008, and she has won many awards including the Sundance Online Jury Award in ‘04. Follow this link
to Jesse’s blog to find out more about her, and see trailers from some of her terrific work.