Tristan Daley is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker captivated by the messy, beautiful truths of human connection. Growing up on tales of heroic underdogs, he learned early that real life is painted in moral grays—and that love, in all its forms, is the thread that binds families, friendships, and communities together. His work, whether narrative, documentary, or commercial, explores these themes through the lenses of history and science, centering stories of people in the margins. Currently, he’s in post-production on Driven (a short film about a young man racing to master stick shift in 24 hours to secure his family’s future) and Tangents (a documentary following a Black dance company reviving a decades-old piece to honor their late founder).

His award-winning short Deb to Society—about a man’s fleeting taste of freedom after a decade in prison—won the Saatchi & Saatchi Cinematic Achievement Award at Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival, while I Am Peace 2 (premiered on SlamOnline) chronicles a Brooklyn youth group’s basketball tournament as a catalyst for unity. Whether through film, music, or unexpected collaborations, Tristan seeks stories that crack open the familiar to reveal something we’ve seen before from a new angle.