Jacob Joseph Held

About

Jacob Joseph Held is a director working in London and Bristol. Jacob has an award-winning filmography of short dramas and documentaries, and also directs for the stage.

Jacob’s short films have explored themes of boyhood, magical realism, loss, and grief. Notably, Puddle Man (2025), which won ‘Best Drama’ at the Royal Television Society West of England, and Reverie (2021), which was part of an exclusive British Film Institute showcase.

In documentary Jacob’s work has included Six Weeks (2024), an experimental documentary following a case of teenage cancer and making the argument for creativity as a healer. Six Weeks has been shown at festivals across the UK and is now used in medical research at University College Hospital. Jacob’s recent documentaries include Hunted (2025), an exposé of illegal fox hunting in Somerset, and Gullible (2026), a comedy mockumentary about seagulls in Weston-super-Mare. In 2026, he was hired by Angelica Films to direct a sizzle for an upcoming documentary feature film.

Jacob’s stage work includes directing a sold-out run of The Private Life of the Master Race by Bertolt Brecht at the Pegg Theatre (2026), as well as a modern adaptation of the same text under the alternative name Fear and Misery in the Third Reich at Edinburgh Fringe 2026, which received glowing reviews. Jacob is currently developing The Cartoon Play with British cartoonist, Charles Peattie MBE.

Jacob has worked with multi-award-winning production companies such as Moonage Pictures, Mammoth Screen, Plimsoll Productions, Angelica Films, Spun Gold, and Warner Bros.

Jacob holds a First-Class Honours degree in Philosophy from the University of Bristol.