shots Unsigned: Jennie Butler

Jennie Butler is a documentary filmmaker based in Los Angeles. 

She's worked with companies like Radical Media, Topic Studios, Condé Nast, Amazon Studios, Hearst Television, and Discovery Channel.

Her award-winning documentary short Georgie, is about an ex-mobster that reflects on love and loss after spending 32 years in prison. The film screened at festivals around the world, including DOC NYC, Rooftop Films, Palm Springs, Aspen Shortsfest, and was selected for Vimeo Staff Picks in 2025. 

We enjoyed her film, and so took the chance to ask Hardy about her career below.

Can you tell us a little about your background and your route into directing?

Directing documentaries wasn’t really on my radar until about five or six years ago. I studied journalism and originally wanted to be a long-form news magazine writer, which, funny enough, isn’t all that different from directing a documentary. It’s basically a written version of one.

I kept finding myself wanting to tell deeper, more nuanced stories

Anyway, I worked in video journalism for years (and still kind of do as a day job), but I kept finding myself wanting to tell deeper, more nuanced stories — ones that explored emotional truths rather than just the “who, what, when, where” of it all. That pull eventually led me to documentary directing.

Did you study filmmaking? How did you learn your craft?

I didn’t study filmmaking. I know it’s cool now to be anti film school but if I could turn back time I probably would have gone to film school. I learned (and am still learning) my craft by making stuff and watching stuff.

Above: Promotional material for the film.

Would you say you have a directing style? How did you arrive at it?

I’m definitely still honing my style but I would say it veers towards observational verité with minimal camera movement. Some sources of inspiration are the documentaries Truffle Hunters, The Mole Agent, and Honeyland, as well as Sofia Coppola’s 2010 film Somewhere.

This might be a hot take, but I think casting is 90% of making documentaries. My approach is to find a fascinating subject, get to the core of who they are, and make artistic decisions that support their character traits.

This might be a hot take, but I think casting is 90% of making documentaries

For example with George, he’s a big personality with a lot of outward bravado and traditional masculinity that I feel is masking a loneliness that comes as a result of nontraditional childhood, decades in prison, and the difficulties of rebuilding his life in the aftermath of it all. I tried to bring those observations to the screen by placing him in isolating environments (the desert, an empty parking lot, standing alone on a stage) while contrasting that imagery with big, old-world, familial Italian music.

What was the inspiration behind your short film Georgie?

On a practical level, I really needed to make a calling-card film, something that could showcase my artistic sensibilities and point of view.

In terms of the storytelling, I was really inspired by the last 20 minutes of Scorsese’s The Irishman. For those who didn't get that far into the nearly four hour movie, Robert DeNiro’s character Frank Sheeran (a ruthless mobster) is a old man sitting in a nursing home, reflecting on a life shaped by pride, isolation, and regret.

When I met George, I saw glimpses of Frank in him. Beneath his outward strength and bravado is a deep well of sadness, something I imagine many men who lived that life carry with them. That emotional complexity is something I had rarely, if ever, seen in documentaries about the mob. 

That emotional complexity is something I had rarely, if ever, seen in documentaries about the mob. 

So much of the genre leans into the spectacle, danger, and mythology. I wanted to make a film that, instead, explored how the American mobster is understood in pop culture vs. the reality of what remains when the excitement is gone.

Above: A behind the scenes look at George on the shoot.

What other directors' work do you admire, and why?

Within the documentary genre, I love the work of Lauren Greenfield. Her films The Queen of Versailles and Thin are two of my all time favourites. I also really admire Les Blank, Matthew Heineman, Lance Oppenheim, Chris Smith, Adam Curtis, and Ai Weiwei.

Where do you find the motivation for your projects?

I think most of the motivation comes from a desperate need to make something. Like if I don’t become obsessed with a story or a person or finishing a project, I’ll quickly slip into a state of not quite depression but total melancholy. Like my brain is floating in an abyss without anything to grasp onto.

I think most of the motivation comes from a desperate need to make something

Above: A cheeky little BTS video from the shoot.

What were some of the difficulties you faced in pulling this project together?

Resources were our biggest constraint. I basically made this film with no money. The actual cost was around $4,000.

My fabulous DP Jordan Tetewsky was looking for more experience shooting docs so he generously did this project on spec, and I think he did an amazing job. He also coloured the film. I edited it myself, and called in some favors for reduced rates on post. Still, puling it all together on a shoestring budget was tough.

How long was the shoot and what was the most challenging aspect of the project?

I believe we shot for five days total (three in Las Vegas and two in Philadelphia). Again, lack of resources was the biggest challenge. It was basically just me and Jordan, and my boyfriend, Alex Kavutskiy (who’s also a filmmaker), helped out for a couple of days.

I honestly do not recommend doing this with two people, lol. We really needed a sound person, an AC, and a PA.