Jeff unay

ABOUT THE Artist

Jeff Unay is a director, cinematographer, and artist. His driving passion is telling immersive stories of ordinary people in extra/ordinary circumstances. Jeff’s independent directorial debut was the 2018 feature film The Cage Fighter. The film was released theatrically and streaming by IFC Films/Sundance Selects and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. The Independent magazine recognized Jeff as a 2017 Filmmaker To Watch. Jeff first cut his teeth helming the direct-to-fan feature documentary Free To Play. Co-shot and edited by Jeff, it was produced and distributed by Valve and received 5.5 million online views in its opening weekend release. Jeff also works as a cinematographer, having worked on the award-winning documentary film Satan and Adam (2019 Cargo Film). He has worked at Valve for the past 16 years, having worked on a wide variety of projects, including video games, commercials, and film.

Jeff’s early love of film led him to become a Visual Effects Society award-winning character designer and face sculptor working on major motion pictures, including Avatar (2009) and King Kong (2005). He credits much of his success as an artist and filmmaker to his 20+ year study of psychologist Dr. Paul Ekman’s work on facial expressions, emotion, and body language. This research has influenced the way Jeff photographs the faces of his subjects to discover the emotional truths revealed. Jeff is a Concordia Fellow, Sundance Institute, Tribeca Film Institute, and Points North Institute Fellow, and is a member of the Full Sail University Hall of Fame. Currently, Jeff lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and children. In his spare time, you’ll most likely find Jeff on a baseball field coaching his sons and their baseball teams.

Still frame from THE CAGE FIGHTER (2017) Credit Jeff Unay / Sundance Select.

RMCAD + PUBLIC EVENTS

Artist TALK

Tuesday, October 14, 2025

Mary Harris Auditorium
Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design
1600 Pierce Street, Denver, CO 80214

This event is free and open to the public and offered both in-person and livestreamed.
Free refreshments are provided in person.

Registration details coming soon.

Jeff Unay Character and Creature Face Supervisor AVATAR (2009) 20th Century Fox.

RMCAD Only Events

Exclusive RMCAD Student Event

Wednesday, October 15, 2025
More details coming soon.

STUDENT-LED Q+A SESSION

Wednesday, October 15, 2025
11:45 am - 12:45 pm Mountain Time
In-person Location TBA
Join via Zoom

Student-Led Q + A Sessions are casual, in-person conversations open to RMCAD students, faculty, and staff. Guided by student voices, these discussions generate valuable professional advice for all students.