ABOUT JARED HESS
American film director of the unique comedies Napoleon Dynamite from 2004 and Nacho Libre from 2006. In 2025, he directed A Minecraft Movie , starring Jack Black .
He found inspiration for Napoleon Dynamite while attending Idaho's Preston High School.
His film Napoleon Dynamite was nominated for the 2004 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize. In 2024, he directed the animated movie Thelma the Unicorn .
He married Jerusha Elizabeth Demke, with whom he had two children named Elliot and Greta.
He directed Gentlemen Broncos in 2009, which starred Michael Angarano .
