Emily Sheskin isn’t afraid to follow a story wherever it leads—even when it takes a heart-wrenching turn. Her latest documentary, JessZilla, started as a chronicle of a young boxer’s Olympic dreams but evolved into a powerful portrait of resilience in the face of a devastating diagnosis. With empathy, nuance, and striking emotional depth, Sheskin captures the journey of Jesselyn Silva and her family as they navigate unimaginable challenges. We caught up with Emily Sheskin to talk about trust, ethics, and the legacy Jesselyn leaves behind.
What drew you to Jesselyn Silva’s story and what convinced you she was the right subject for a documentary?
I first saw a photo of Jesselyn at age nine in a local newspaper, triumphant with her national boxing belt and immediately wanted to know more about her. I was very inspired by women’s MMA at the time – Ronda Rousey was a UFC champion and Dana White had gone back on what he’d said about never letting women fight in the UFC. I had been watching a lot of Invicta before women were allowed to fight in the UFC and it made me think about all those female athletes who trained for purely love of the game.
Originally, I hadn’t thought to follow a young person, and it was also important that this was Jesselyn’s dream and not her dad’s. Within moments of meeting them in person I fell in love with their dynamic and knew this had to be a film – the young woman who was fearless and the father who was along for the ride.
Jesselyn’s close relationship with her father, Pedro, is central. How did you earn the family’s trust to document such intimate moments?
I didn’t launch straight into filming, especially because this was a young person and I felt a responsibility to make participating a good experience.
With adults, they have a better sense of what they’re signing up for but a child needs a parent’s protection in that regard. I needed to make sure before we even picked up a camera that Pedro understood the potential risks that come with a project like this. From the sudden attention that can go as quickly as it came, to critical comments online, and how he equipped he felt as her parent to shield her from some of the emotional fallout that might occur.
We talked on and off for a month or so. That transparency and mutual care, became the backbone of our partnership. By the time they stepped onto set there was an understanding that our team cared about them and their experience. It was important that they felt part of our team, and over the years we continued to build on that.
How did your relationship with Jesselyn and Pedro evolve during the years of filming?
The simplest answer is we became friends. We made this with a handful of people – most of our shoots on location were me, my producer Ben, a cinematographer, and our sound person. At times, it was me with a camera on my own. For the most part, the crew was consistent and we all got along well. There were so many times when we all just tagged along with the Silvas, eating dinner with them or watching Jess’ friends fight without the cameras.
By the time she got her diagnosis, we’d become a constant in their lives. I remember Pedro said when she got sick and she asked about continuing to film that he wanted to do so because we were a part of her normal and he didn’t want to take that away from her.
Her diagnosis shifted the documentary’s focus. What was your initial reaction?
Film over – that the story we were telling about an athlete’s journey to the Olympics was now unimportant and all that mattered was doing everything we could to support the Silvas.
There was never a moment after he said “stage four” and “glioblastoma” that I was thinking about the film. Neither was Pedro – we were talking more regularly but all about Jesselyn’s health and the options they were being given.
It was Jesselyn who voiced wanting to continue with our film. At the time, we’d been delaying shooting with her because she’d been getting headaches that turned out to be much more serious. At first, I wondered if she felt pressure or a desire to please the adults who had given so much of their time to this. When I asked for her motivations to continue, she said that she wanted to show people they could be brave in the face of scary things.
I realized in that moment, she saw everything very differently than the adults in the room. I wanted to honor that, best I could. If not for her, this film would not exist.
Did you experience ethical or emotional conflicts after her diagnosis?
Yes and no. I was no longer the driver of the film in some ways after she got her diagnosis – she was. We had a call where she talked about her vision for the film, since it was no longer about her path to the Olympics. In many ways, that became our third act.
I’d be lying if I said that it wasn’t hard and I wasn’t deeply upset, but if you knew Jesselyn you’d know that she hated people being sad on her account.
I had a responsibility when I saw her not to put what I was feeling onto her. She was always smiling, always positive, always brave. Pedro speaks to the importance of not undermining that in our film, and it was something we all did after filming concluded. We’d visit her in the hospital and bring games and make a point to have fun and joke like we always did.
Outside of that, I felt the pressure of wanting to make her proud. It was really important to me that we premiere the film when she was alive and that her work continue after her passing. As we’ve continued to raise money for her fund and bring her story to more and more people, I feel less conflicted about any of it because we’re doing exactly what she wanted.
Is there anything you wish you’d captured but didn’t?
I would have loved to get more day-in-the-life with her at school, but it was also important that the film not disrupt her life too much. There was a fine line for me when it came to filming with her because she was so young. I made it clear she had a say in what we could and could not film.
Having worked in this industry for some time, you often experience parents and kids that are so eager to please, even if its to the determent of the child. A lot of the time they’re not even aware of the impact filming makes on a young person, so it becomes the responsibility of the director to step in and protect young people on set.
To that point, many of the things I wanted to get might have been awesome for us in the short term but would have consequences on her school and social life in the long term. I didn’t want that and I’m really proud that the whole process was able to maintain this type of integrity from start to finish.
How have audiences responded, especially from boxing and Jesselyn’s circle?
The response we’ve gotten to the film has been amazing. The boxing community has really rallied around us and we’ve partnered with the World Boxing Council – their president Mauricio Sulaimán going so far as to call our film “a valentine to the sport.” In May, they created a grey champion’s belt for Brain Cancer Awareness month that had Jesselyn’s image on it. That alone would have been exciting for her to see, but recently Mike Tyson and Laila Ali have shared the film with their followings.
It’s touching, but also not surprising that so many people she admired and knew have shared our film as well as personal stories about her incredible spirit. Everyone who met Jesselyn couldn’t help but love her. She was so special and even now she’s why our film is reaching as many people as it is.
As a filmmaker, you make films for regular people and while it’s amazing to get good reviews, it’s beyond rewarding to see the film resonate with her community. I’m equally appreciative of how many nice messages I’ve gotten from people who don’t have a direct connection to our story – either through boxing or knowing the Silvas personally.
What do you hope people take away, and how do you hope Jesselyn will be remembered?
I hope people are inspired by Jesselyn’s approach to life. Whether it be her belief that nothing is too hard, setting ambitious goals and not letting other people’s doubt influence one’s self-confidence, or facing something scary head-on while having gratitude for every good moment you’re given.
The Jesselyn “JessZilla” Silva fund has already raised money for brain cancer research and to help other families in the midst of their fight, and I know that her desire to help others is something that lives on through that. In our film she and her dad talk about how they want to give this world more hope, and now, we’re doing that through her fund.
I’d like to note that a portion of every sale of JessZilla will go to her fund in order to honor her legacy and maximize that hope she spoke about.