---
name: "Jerusha Hess"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/jerusha-hess"
fi1m_id: "jerusha-hess"
imdb_id: "nm1415801"
tmdb_id: 57408
wikidata_id: "Q3177537"
roles: ["Costume designer"]
born: "12 July 1980"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_over: 0
updated: "2026-09-17T22:52:43.110235+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Jerusha Hess

## Identity

Jerusha Hess

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/jerusha-hess
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** jerusha-hess
- **IMDb ID:** nm1415801
- **TMDB ID:** 57408
- **Wikidata ID:** Q3177537
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusha_Hess, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3177537, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1415801/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/57408

Costume designer. Born 12 July 1980 in Olathe, Kansas, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Costume designer
- **Born:** 12 July 1980, Olathe, Kansas, USA
- **Also known as:** Jerusha Elizabeth Demke 
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar nomination
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusha_Hess, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3177537, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1415801/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/57408

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Napoleon Dynamite*](https://film.one/film/napoleon-dynamite.md) (74)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Jerusha Hess is an American writer and filmmaker. She co-wrote the screenplay for *Napoleon Dynamite* (2004) with her husband Jared Hess, and also served as the film's costume designer. The pair met while attending Brigham Young University's film school.

Hess has co-written several further features directed by Jared Hess, including *Nacho Libre* (2006), *Gentlemen Broncos* (2009) and *Don Verdean* (2015). She wrote and directed *Austenland* (2013), and co-wrote the screenplay for *Thelma the Unicorn* (2024). She also directed the animated short *Ninety-Five Senses* (2022).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, metacritic.com, shotonwhat.com, imdb.com, deseret.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Napoleon Dynamite* (2004), Fi1m 74, Screenplay, Costume Design, Costume design — [page](https://film.one/film/napoleon-dynamite.md)

## Complete filmography (9)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Thelma the Unicorn* (2024), Screenplay
- *Ninety-Five Senses* (2022), Director
- *Don Verdean* (2015), Writer
- *Austenland* (2013), Director, Screenplay
- *Napoleon Dynamite* (2012), series, Creator
- *Gentlemen Broncos* (2009), Writer, Executive Producer
- *Nacho Libre* (2006), Writer
- *Napoleon Dynamite* (2004), Screenplay, Costume Design — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/napoleon-dynamite.md)
- *Cardboard Only* (2001), Producer

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- 2024: Best Animated Short Film (nominated), for *Ninety-Five Senses*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/jerusha-hess