Biography

Brooklyn born director JR Heffelfinger is an artist and filmmaker working in New York City, Puerto Rico and Los Angles. He began his career with his debut feature film "Niji No Shita Ni", which was filmed in Tokyo, Japan and had it's world premiere at the 28th Mill Valley Film Festival. The film was reviewed as "being touched by the spirits of Kurosawa and Imamura and resonating with the resilient glow of life" and JR was noted in Variety as "an emerging talent". As a documentary filmmaker, he quickly garnering a reputation for embedding himself in some of the most dangerous places in the world, giving voice to the voiceless and making the invisible, visible. As a commercial director he was honored with a 2013 Webby Award for his success creating viral video content that has garnered over 250 Million views to date. Known for unveiling truths about the human condition and capturing unique and powerful moments, his narrative, documentary and commercial work have earned him an indelible reputation as a filmmaker. JR Heffelfinger has collaborated with Disney, Al Jazeera America, Sephora, Amazon Aid, Hope to Haiti and Avenues The World School.