'Napoleon Dynamite' filmmaker to be honored at Rome International Film Festival

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Jerusha Hess and her filmmaking husband Jered Hess are behind the enduring legacy of their breakout film, 2004's "Napoleon Dynamite."

Credit: Rome International Film Festival

Independent films from around the world are coming to Northwest Georgia’s Rome this weekend. It’s part of the 22nd annual Rome International Film Festival, held Nov. 5 through Nov. 9, 2025.

The five-day festival includes, among other highlights, a U.S. premiere from action-horror film director Josh Waller, a special focus on Georgia productions and an award for the filmmakers behind the beloved 2004 indie comedy Napoleon Dynamite.

Those filmmakers are the husband-and-wife duo of Jered and Jerusha Hess. They’ll accept the festival’s Flannery O’Connor Award for Storytelling.

GPB's Orlando Montoya spoke with Jerusha Hess on Wednesday. She said that she admires the Georgia writer O’Connor and is excited to come to the festival.

Jerusha Hess: I had heard about it from our friend, Tim Blake Nelson, who was honored last year, and it just seems like a very cool film festival and a vibrant city. And so we were pumped to hear about this award. I say we, because my husband and I share everything. We feel like an award for me is an award for him. 

Orlando Montoya: Yeah, I was going to ask about that. How is it like working with your husband? I mean, you've been working together for such a long time. What's the secret to staying in a relationship while working together so closely? It seems like such a fraught thing. 

Jerusha Hess:  I know. I mean, we've been married for 24 years and so something is working and I think a lot of it is we are able to take off the writing hat after —after we're done. And we're kind of lazy writers. We write for maybe two to four hours a day and then we're, like, "OK! Let's go get lunch!" So we find ways to reward ourselves when we get pages done and it's just really to bounce ideas off of someone who you respect. 

Orlando Montoya: And how about not letting work disagreements become personal? 

Jerusha Hess: Oh no, we take it so personally. No, you have to. Oh no. There's tears and screaming, but I think that just makes it better. I think someone you trust can trash your work and you're like, "Oh yeah, I see. Let's go a different way." And I do it back to him. He does it to me. I think it makes it, it boils — it boils the projects down to their best form. 

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The DeSoto Theater in Rome, Ga., is shown with a sign promoting the Rome International Film Festival.

Credit: Rome International Film Festival

Orlando Montoya: Well, do you have any examples of that from some of your more well-known movies, maybe even Napoleon Dynamite? Was there disagreements that you guys had on that? 

Jerusha Hess: Yeah, so Jered originally wanted Napoleon Dynamite to be a story about a kid who was into sci-fi and he was — and you know, you get that a little bit from Napoleon — but he was, there was some extraterrestrial elements and government conspiracy and it was just too big of a movie. And I kept telling him like, "Hey, we have $0 to make this movie. Let's just do slice of life." Keep it in a high school. Keep it just this kid's dumb day-to-day experiences. And so we finally were able to get it down to this small, tiny little story. 

Orlando Montoya: Have you been surprised by the enduring appeal of that movie? I mean, we're going on 20 years, and we're still talking about it. 

Jerusha Hess: It's wild, it doesn't even feel like our movie anymore, it feels like the world's movie, and so it's our kids — when they watch it and they react to it, that really is like, wow. It's mind blowing, we never expected it. 

Orlando Montoya: This year Jared worked on a huge commercial success, Minecraft, based on the video game. And obviously you both have had much success, but this one was huge in terms of box office. How did it feel to have a true blockbuster? 

Jerusha Hess: It takes us by surprise. You never expect anything to be as great as it is. And I think keeping that humility is key in this industry because sometimes things are bombs and that's OK, too. But yeah, that one is a very special IP that so many kids and young adults love so much. So yeah, it was — it was a ride.

Orlando Montoya: I know you're working on a lot of projects. You've got an animated feature, Deeply Dave, that you're working on. Some TV projects as well. What does the future look like for you? What are you looking forward to next?

Jerusha Hess: You know, we love making independent films. This is the thing we love the most: small, weird, quirky stories of characters we haven't seen. And so in between these big giant blockbusters, we hope to keep making and writing small movies that tell local stories.

Orlando Montoya: Keep film weird. 

Jerusha Hess: Exactly, we're kind of known for this edgy PG genre. 

Orlando Montoya: Edgy PG drama? 

Jerusha Hess: Yes! Like, we make movies that the entire family watches and yet it's the adults that are like, "That was so odd; we loved it." So I don't know. That's our sensibility and so I think we just wanna keep making these weird movies, you're absolutely right. 

Orlando Montoya: Yeah, and I can't help but come in and jump in there and make a connection with your religion. And being Mormon, you've spoken about that before. Is that part of it, you think?

Jerusha Hess: Yeah, I think definitely. You know, we grew up Mormon and I think that definitely influenced the films we were watching and what we wanted to put out there. But it also, I think, is greatly influenced by just being parents. We have four children ranging from 22 to 12 and we want to make movies that they enjoy. And those are the things, you know, that we're absorbing their stories. 

Orlando Montoya: Well, Jerusha Hess, it has been a pleasure. Good luck with all your projects.

Jerusha Hess: Thank you. You, too.