Jacob Ramsay is an American filmmaker and Polish immigrant based in Warsaw. A graduate of FAMU in Prague, he creates films that drift along the border of documentary and fiction, working with non-actors whose lived histories blur into the characters they portray. His work explores immigrant identity, fractured family ties, and the emotional geographies carried across borders.
His latest film, AN EXTRA DAY IN PRAGUE, journeyed from the Festival de Cannes Short Film Corner market to its world premiere at Oscar and EFA qualifying Drama International Short Film Festival in Greece. It continued across four continents, screening at festivals including ZOOM – Zbliżenia in Poland, and earning awards in Japan, India, and Brazil. His earlier film, LOOKING AWAY, screened internationally as well, including New Filmmakers Showcase at Film Noir Cinema, in Brooklyn and at FIAPF-accredited CineDays in Skopje.
Before earning his MFA in Film Directing from FAMU, Ramsay worked in New York’s film industry on major productions for A24, HBO, 20th Century Studios, and Round Films. His credits include How to Talk to Girls at Parties (dir. John Cameron Mitchell), Vinyl (dir. Martin Scorsese), Maggie’s Plan (dir. Rebecca Miller), and The Maze Runner (dir. Wes Ball). He has served as a director’s assistant to Joe Ruben and as an editing assistant to Academy Award–nominated editor Andrew Mondshein. His production background also extends to international filmmaking, having produced and assistant-directed both short and feature projects across the United States, North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, the Czechia, and Poland.
For more than a decade, Ramsay has taught filmmaking across a wide range of settings. He has lectured at FAMU International in Prague, teaching Fundamentals of Filmmaking to Erasmus+ students and mentoring master’s candidates one-on-one. In the United States, he has guided youth documentary projects through the HYPE Youth Media Program in Pennsylvania and the Ghetto Film School in the Bronx. He has also led fiction workshops with Youth Film Set in Prague and delivered guest lectures at the University of New York in Prague, the Rathaus Cultural Center in Piacenza, Italy, and Austin Community College in Texas.
Ramsay lives in Warsaw with his wife, Polish writer-director Żaneta Legoń. When he is not developing new films, he can often be found sitting in Old Town with his typewriter, writing poems for strangers as the city moves around him.