Denis Delestrac

After launching his career as a writer and photographer in the United States, DENIS DELESTRAC stepped by chance into filmmaking in 2001 when he met legendary photographer Steve McCurry, later to become the subject of "The Face of the human Condition". This was the first segment of the "Nomads" series that took the young director across the globe and forged his creative voice.

In 2009, he teamed with executive producer Mark Achbar (Director of “The Corporation”) and signed “Pax Americana and the Weaponization of Space”. The theatrical documentary examines the origins and today's reality of the militarization of space. It received numerous accolades and led Denis to his next film “Sand Wars”, an epic eco-thriller unveiling a disturbing fact: after water, sand is the most consumed resource on Earth and the world's beaches are disappearing.

“Sand Wars” has been selected in over 30 festivals and won 11 awards including a Gold Panda, the Greenpeace Prize and a Prix Gémeaux, placing Delestrac as one of Europe’s most bankable non-fiction directors.

His films unstitch the hidden mechanics of our society, ones that blatantly stare us in the face and yet we are completely oblivious to. The force with which Delestrac exposes controversial issues has sparked public debate and influenced political decision-making internationally, positioning him as one of the most influential investigative filmmakers this past decade.

In the upcoming “Banking Nature” (with Sandrine Feydel), he investigates how the same banks and institutions that provoked the 2008 meltdown are now seeing biodiversity and endangered species as the next financial Eldorado.

A passionate speaker, Delestrac is devoted to sharing his expertise with audiences and professionals around the world. His master-classes – focusing on international coproduction, development, funding or access – have been imparted in festivals and universities across Europe, Latin America, the US and Africa.

Delestrac resides in Barcelona and Paris.