Antonio D. James, (born June 3, 1985) is an American film director from

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

Early life

James was born in Memphis, Tennessee on June 3, 1985, and was raised by his mother and stepfather in Memphis' Northaven community. He spent most of his teenage years in

Hickory Hill Hickory Hill may refer to several places: United States (by state) * Hickory Hill, Arkansas * Hickory Hill, Florida * Hickory Hill (Thomson, Georgia), National Register of Historic Places listings in McDuffie County, Georgia, listed on the NRHP i ...

with his biological father. By his first year at

Millington Central High School Millington Central Middle High School (formerly known as Millington Central High School MCHS) is a public school (grades 7-12 formerly grades 9-12) located in southern Millington, Tennessee, United States, and is a part of the Millington Municip ...

in Millington, Tennessee, he had already attended several schools. He graduated in 2003.

Career

James enlisted in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

after college but returned to Memphis after one term. He faced hardships including a lack of employment opportunities there but this led him to discover filmmaking as a hobby. He and his uncle began filming music videos for Media Workz and Catina Johnson, short films, and commercials. He worked as a videographer at the Memphis Veteran Affairs Medical Center and later was the official videographer for Al Sharpton's ''National Access News''. He was also the videographer for the non-profit Arize V Renaissance Center. His film debut was in 2013 with ''Trey'', which he produced and directed. Though the film was expected to cost $400,000, he spent only $750. The movie received awards from the Independent Filmmakers Showcase, the Texas Black Film Festival, and the

Action on Film International Film Festival The Action On Film International Film Festival, also known as the Action On Film Festival, was founded in 2004. It was held in California until 2017 when it moved to the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. As a hub for many returning filmmakers ...

Personal life

James relocated to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

following the release of ''Trey''.

Filmography

Director

* ''Trey'' (2013) * ''Pushing Through'' (2013) * ''Father's Moment of Truth'' (2013) * ''Free's Freedom'' (2014) * ''The Real Dancers of North Hollywood'' (2014) * ''Pushed Below'' (2016) * ''Resolution Song'' (2018)

Cinematographer

* ''Trey'' (2013) * ''Pushing Through'' (2013) * ''Father's Moment of Truth'' (2013) * ''Allison'' (2014) * ''Foiled'' (2015) * ''Fire and Ice'' (2021)

Actor

* ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the list of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running American soap opera in pro ...

'' (2013) - trainer * '' Neighbors'' (2014) - extra * ''Pocket Watch'' (2016) - Don Trump

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Antonio D. 1985 births African-American film directors Living people People from Memphis, Tennessee Film directors from Tennessee 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people