BIOGRAPHY
Desmond Levi Jackson is an Afroqueer poet, performance martial artist and writer-director passionate about showcasing intersectional experiences in his work. Having survived with Ankylosing Spondylitis since age 11, Desmond transformed his piercing back pain into telling original action and horror stories injected with Black characters overcoming fear, agony, and mental strife.
His award-winning films include UNITED IN GRIEF, BEATEN BUT NOT BROKEN, and BE, which explore themes ranging from debilitating grief in black males, community resistance against police brutality, and the stigmatization of male bisexuality in queer relationships.
In addition to being the first director to make a horror project produced by Red Bull Media House, Desmond was also a finalist in the 2025 Black Boy Writes Program. He has participated in fellowships with Sundance’s Blackhouse Foundation, Facebook Seen, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’s Gold Rising program, Tyler Perry’s Dream Collective, and Deutsche Bank’s Frieze LA Film Fellowship.
In the branded content space, Desmond brings his love of poetry and dance into his directorial work for brands like Issa Rae’s ColorCreative, and Black owned fashion company D’IYANU.
ACCOLADES
INSPIRATION
Influenced heavily by the filmmakers Jordan Peele, Terence Nance, along with the heightened aesthetic of Japanese anime (NARUTO, ATTACK ON TITAN, DEATH NOTE), Desmond boasts a dynamic cinematic style that he brings to his projects. Through African-centered storytelling, Desmond subverts damaging stereotypes and depicts the untold emotional and mental health of Black men and women through the use of elevated genre. His goal is to uplift African people and inspire them to be critical of social behaviors and systemic institutions. By building imaginative worlds, crafting complex queer characters, and finding nuanced stories to tell, Desmond knows his films can bring about unity and change within the African Diaspora.
