# Jonathan Hammond (filmmaker)

Jonathan Hammond is an American film director, film editor, screenwriter and film producer who directed the films Expect A Miracle: Finding Light in the Darkness of a Pandemic (2020), Isabel (2018), Kathy (2018) and We All Die Alone (2021). Hammond won the Copper Wing Award for short film directing at the Phoenix Film Festival and received multiple nominations for a Pacific Southwest Emmy Award at National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

## Early life

Hammond is the son of Belva Gadlage. A grant recipient from National Endowment for the Arts, he grew up in Decatur, Illinois and attended Eisenhower High School. Hammond studied at University of Illinois and New York University Tisch School of the Arts before relocating to San Diego and later to Los Angeles.

## Career

Hammond has cited influences from the works of Steven Spielberg, Alfonso Cuarón, Quentin Tarantino, and Taika Waititi. His film Expect A Miracle depicts San Diego's handle on AIDS in the 1980s, a time where sexual orientation towards the same gender was confined.
Hammond was a panelist at San Diego Comic-Con and compared being selected to screen his film Kathy there as exciting as having an Emmy nomination. He was a judge for the Minneapolis 48 Hour Film Project in 2020 and his film Before depicted a dinner party within the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hammond and Jodi Cilley talked about the challenges faced when recruiting talent when turning true local stories into films. Film Threat praised Hammond's film We All Die Alone, scoring it 8 out of 10. He is part of an expanded network of LGBT filmmakers who have influence to project styles of horror.

### 2025 film: Fireflies in the Dusk

Hammond's film Fireflies in the Dusk will premiere in 2025 at the Cleveland International Film Festival. Featuring Emily Goss, Hale Appleman, Drew Droege, and Amy Yasbeck, it was produced by Martin Spanjers with cinematography by Elle Schneider.

## Filmography

Short films :
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Editor | Notes |
| 2018 | Kathy | Yes | Co-writer | Yes | No | |
| 2018 | Isabel | Yes | Co-writer | Yes | Yes | |
| 2020 | Expect a Miracle: Finding Light in the Darkness of a Pandemic | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | TV film |
| 2021 | We All Die Alone | Yes | Co-writer | Executive | No | |
| 2022 | Some Like It Hot | Yes | Co-writer | No | — | |
| 2025 | Fireflies in the Dusk | Yes | Co-writer | No | No | |

## Accolades

| Event | Year | Award | Film | Result |
| Burbank International Film Festival | 2022 | Best LGBTQ Short Film | We All Die Alone | Won |
| GI Film Festival San Diego | 2022 | Local Choice Award | We All Die Alone | Won |
| GI Film Festival San Diego | 2022 | Best Local Narrative Short | We All Die Alone | Nominated |
| Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema | 2022 | Indie Spirit Award | We All Die Alone | Won |
| Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema | 2022 | Best Short Film | We All Die Alone | Nominated |
| Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema | 2022 | Best Director – Short Film | We All Die Alone | Nominated |
| Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema | 2022 | Best Screenplay – Short Film | We All Die Alone | Nominated |
| Oceanside International Film Festival | 2022 | Best Narrative Short Film | We All Die Alone | Nominated |
| Phoenix Film Festival | 2022 | Copper Wing Award – Best LGBTQIA+ Directed Short | We All Die Alone | Won |
| National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences | 2021 | Pacific Southwest Emmy Award | Expect A Miracle: Finding Light in the Darkness of a Pandemic | Nominated |
| National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences | 2019 | Pacific Southwest Emmy Award | Isabel | Nominated |

## Kathy

Kathy is a 2018 horror short film directed by Jonathan Hammond and written by Hammond and Ryan Roach. The film stars Samantha Ginn, Cristyn Chandler, Suzana Norberg, Frank DiPalermo and Jared Sarvis.

### Plot

   Frankie's mother and her friends enjoy an afternoon prayer circle and exorcism.

### Cast

* Samantha Ginn as Kathy
* Cristyn Chandler as Anne
* Suzana Norberg as Mrs. Yost

### Production

The film was made in San Diego. The story was originally written as non-fiction about a gay local writer's early life within his strict, faithful family. It was then redrafted as a horror film, taking place in the 1980s. Hammond mentioned being influenced on inspecting important topics of interest to come up with characters of a different degree.

### Release

Kathy screened at Horrible Imaginings Film Festival, Catalina Film Festival, Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival, FilmOut San Diego, Indie Short Fest, San Diego Film Week and IndieX Film Fest. It was distributed by Alter.