Jessica Nipperess' latest film - 'Devil Bean' - has been selected into The American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase, and is set to screen in France on May 26 at The American Pavilion as part of the 2022 Cannes Festival.

"It was a huge moment when I got the phone call from a woman in LA to tell me that my film had been selected," Jessica said.

The horror-comedy satire, which is centered around a father's dangerous coffee addiction, recently won the Best High School Production at WorldFest - Houston and was also a FlickerUp finalist.

With audience reaction at the forefront, the 16-year-old eagerly awaits to see how her short will rate among others in the industry during the France screening.

"I'll be scanning audience members for reactions as 'Devil Bean' is playing. It brings me a lot of satisfaction to watch how people react to the film as they are drawn along for the rollercoaster of emotion that I've constructed," Jessica said.

"It's a bit nerve-wracking to have my film shown in front of so many industry professionals who likely have very discerning eyes, but I have faith in the film's integrity and I think that, for the most part, I'll just be enjoying myself."

Breaking into the international film scene at just 16 years of age is something Jessica is humbled by, especially as a regional Australian filmmaker.

"I'm stoked to have this film, which I have worked so hard on, step up onto the international stage and receive recognition," she said.

"Living in a regional Australian town, I feel quite isolated from the film industry. That's why going to Cannes and being a part of this prestigious event is partially terrifying but also incredibly exciting.

"It's a chance for me to immerse myself in the industry and wrap my head around the business side of filmmaking; pitching and distribution. Not only that, but the chance to network with international filmmakers will be invaluable in helping form the foundation of my connections for when I leave school."

The storyline for 'Devil Bean', which was scripted by Mudgee's Sam Paine, drew inspiration from a "despised" family coffee machine that would, after failing to be re-homed, become a film prop.

"Sam took this nugget of inspiration and came back with an incredibly witty and bizarre horror-comedy satire about a wholesome family dad who becomes dangerously addicted to coffee and tears his family apart," Jessica said.

"Spoiler alert: at the end he renounces coffee for its devilish effects and throws the coffee machine into the backyard where it explodes into smithereens. And let me tell you, that day of filming was catharsis at its absolute epitome.

"Everyone should get to smash a coffee machine at some point in their lives, it's a real stick-it-to-the-man moment."

Fellow filmmaker and mentor Cadance Bell - a Mudgee native herself - spoke highly of Jessica's growth in the industry after mentoring her for some years.

"I think that Jess [Nipperess] is an unstoppable force. Every project she does, she grows immensely. She's incredibly driven in a way that you rarely see," Ms Bell said.

"A lot of people would just throw in the towel and say it's all too hard. Instead of letting challenges define her and letting them give her an excuse to give up, Jess sets that as the next thing to overcome. And she does it each and every time.

"I'm learning as much from her if not more than she's learning from me, simply because of her tenacity and drive. She has been so inspiring. She's going to Cannes for goodness sake, there will come a time when she's my mentor."

Directing and creating films holds a special place in Jessica's heart and is a career choice that is unshakeable. What that looks like after completing her HSC in two years remains to be seen.

"I've always wanted to be a storyteller. When I was younger, I wanted to be an illustrator, then an author, and now filmmaking has emerged and stuck hard to my soul. It was a gradual development from a hobby that I did for fun, to my future career and deep passion that I now consider inseparable from my identity," she said.

"Filmmaking is what drives me and makes me feel like I'm making a contribution to the world. I have my suspicions about where this passion came from; we used to go and rent a movie from the local Video Ezy every Friday and watch it on our little TV. I think that was pretty formative for me.

"For the next two years, I'll be making my HSC major work films for Art and English Extension two. And once I leave school, I'm still tossing up whether I'll go to film school or just dive straight into the industry, but I'm happy to make that decision when it comes."

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