Chanel Monét James (she/they) is a filmmaker, editor, and archivist. They create stories that explore human experiences, foster understanding, and highlight the link between music and mental health.

She got her start as a videographer/editor for Atlanta radio stations 99x, Q100, and Rock 100.5 before relocating to Brooklyn after graduating with a BFA in Digital Filmmaking from the Art Institute of Atlanta in 2009 and has had the opportunity to work on the festival circuit at Brooklyn Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festival and with the digital archiving teams Condé Nast and MTV as well as study sketch, improv, and comedy screenwriting at UCB and The Pit.

In 2012, Chanel released her first original narrative short under their production company Dinosaur Hawk “Lie Awake” on Vimeo. Her debut original narrative feature, “The Things We Do When We’re Alone”, won Best American Feature Film at the Cape Verdean American Film Festival and premiered at Black Cinema House in Chicago in 2018. In 2021, Chanel made her co-directorial debut with the feature film “as of yet”, executive produced by the Duplass Brothers.