ABOUT THE FILMMAKER

Jovan James is a filmmaker and photographer from Baltimore dedicated to showing the black experience with compassion and unflinching honesty. Starting from a young age with an interest in medicine and science, he independently discovered his love for film as a teenager. Jovan earned his BFA at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He started at NYU Tisch Grad Film in 2014 where he made his first short film, "The Jump Off", that explores the end of a relationship between two young gay black men, it had its film festival debut at UrbanWorld in New York City and has played at over twenty film festivals across North America. His most recent short film, "Tadpole", which follows the possible beginning of a queer teenage romance, debuted at New Hampshire Film Festival 2018, where it was awarded Best Student Film, and has since played over a dozen festivals across the country. After graduating from Tisch Grad Film in May 2019, he relocated to Los Angeles and was selected as a fall intern at the coveted internship program at Bad Robot Productions. In January 2020, Jovan premiered his newest short film and NYU Grad thesis, “BUCK”, a dramatic thriller that follows a depressed Black gay man who finds peace in an unexpected place in the midst of a downward spiral, at the Sundance Film Festival. During the COVID-era, Jovan has continued on the virtual festival circuit, playing BFI London Film Festival, Durban International Film Festival, and Newfest Film Festival, where he was awarded with the Emerging Black LGBTQ+ Filmmaker Award. Jovan is currently working on several new projects, including his first feature film and development on a series adaptation of his short film, “BUCK”.

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