Jethro Waters

{{Short description|American independent filmmaker}}

Jethro Waters is an American independent filmmaker, known for the documentary feature F11 and Be There (2020){{cite news |last1=Kenny |first1=Glenn |title='F11 and Be There' Review: Burk Uzzle, a Photographer Worth Knowing |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/14/movies/f11-and-be-there-review.html |access-date=29 May 2024 |work=The New York Times |date=14 July 2020}} and the narrative feature Gunfighter Paradise (2024).{{cite news |last1=LePire |first1=Bobby |title=Gunfighter Paradise Review |url=https://filmthreat.com/reviews/gunfighter-paradise/ |access-date=29 May 2024 |publisher=Film Threat |date=30 April 2024}} He is a screenwriter, director, cinematographer, editor, producer, and composer.{{cite news |last1=Rojas |first1=Morgan |date=17 May 2024 |title='Gunfighter Paradise' Review: God, Guns, and the American South |url=https://cinemacy.com/gunfighter-paradise-review/ |access-date=29 May 2024 |publisher=Cinemacy}}

Known for a lyrical, experimental, and surrealist style that spans multiple genres,{{cite news |last1=Posada |first1=Priscilla |date=20 December 2020 |title=On Respecting Your Subject: An Interview with Jethro Waters |url=https://metafilm.ovid.tv/2020/12/02/on-respecting-your-subject-an-interview-with-jethro-waters/ |access-date=7 June 2024 |publisher=Ovid}} his films are representative of an auteur method, with his cinematography being praised by critics as a distinctive element of his work. His satirical narrative feature Gunfighter Paradise has been described as a Semi-autobiographical dark comedy{{cite news |last1=Propes |first1=Richard |title=Movie Review: Gunfighter Paradise |url=https://theindependentcritic.com/gunfighter_paradise |access-date=1 June 2024 |publisher=The Independent Critic |date=17 May 2024}} that explores themes of religion, grief, family, and The American South.{{cite web |last1=Lyn |first1=Eoghan |title=Gunfighter Paradise Film Review |url=https://dmovies.org/2024/06/25/gunfighter-paradise/ |website=Dirty Movies |access-date=7 October 2024}}

His documentary films have often focused on artists and photographers.{{cite web |title=In Love's Shadow |url=https://bittersoutherner.com/in-loves-shadow |website=Bitter Southerner |publisher=The Bitter Southerner |access-date=7 June 2024}} He won a Regional Emmy Award at the 2021 Midsouth Emmy Awards for the documentary feature F11 and Be There.{{cite web |title=Midsouth Emmy Awards 2021 |url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0001809/2021/1?ref_=ttawd_ev_1 |access-date=30 May 2024 |website=IMDB}}

He is also known for directing music videos for various artists, including John Cale, Weyes Blood{{cite news |last1=Blistein |first1=Jon |title=John Cale and Weyes Blood Embrace the Surreal and Spiritual on New Song 'Story of Blood' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/john-cale-new-album-mercy-weyes-blood-song-1234613827/ |publisher=Rolling Stone |date=19 October 2022}} and Angel Olsen.{{cite news |last1=Yoo |first1=Noah |title=Watch Angel Olsen's New "Pops" Video |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/71116-watch-angel-olsens-new-pops-video/ |publisher=Pitchfork |date=24 January 2017}}

Waters was born in Texas and raised in North Carolina.{{cite web |last1=Leighton |first1=Heather |title=Filmmaker Interview: Jethro Waters of 'F11 and Be There' |url=https://www.reelsouth.org/stories/filmmaker-interview-jethro-waters-f11-and-be-there |access-date=1 June 2024 |website=Reel South}} He attended West Lincoln High School in Lincolnton, North Carolina, and then attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville.Bernard, T. Michelle (April 6, 2022). [https://www.lincolntimesnews.com/arts_and_entertainment/wlhs-graduates-now-filmmakers/article_ccdd9582-b5a8-11ec-9057-0baee521c4de.html WLHS graduates now filmmakers]. lincolntontimesnews.com. Retrieved March 24, 2025.{{Cite web |date=March 9, 2021 |title=UNC Asheville Alumnus Jethro Waters Wins Emmy Award |url=https://stories.unca.edu/unc-asheville-alumnus-jethro-waters-wins-emmy-award |access-date=2024-05-30 |website=UNC Asheville |language=en}}