James DeLisio is a filmmaker creating non-fiction films in Southern California. He is an undergraduate student at the University of California, San Diego, where he studies cognitive science and film production. His filmmaking practice uses observational documentary and the essay film to explore the mediation between the humanistic and the ecological. Previous works include "Smoke Signals," which follows the work of volunteer fire lookouts on Palomar Mountain, and "Alacrity," an experimental nonfiction short documenting a colony of snails alongside a traffic intersection. 

 

He is the recipient of a fellowship from the Suraj Israni Center for Cinematic Arts, and has had work supported by grants from the Russell Foundation. His films have screened at the National Film Festival for Talented Youth, the San Diego Asian Film Festival, the Catalina Film Festival, and more. He has presented scholarly work internationally at conferences at UC San Diego and Leibniz University Hannover, and was featured on the "Sight & Sound" magazine best video essays of 2023 list. Support from the William Male Foundation will go towards the production of his forthcoming film, titled "Lobsteropolis," which will be the third in a trilogy of works that observe ecosystems bordering urban San Diego.