Biography
Youssef Delara, originally from Los Angeles, began his film education at Loyola Marymount Film School, specializing in directing, while also studying photography at the Art Center College of Art and Design. After graduation, he utilized his keen visual skills as a Visual Effects Associate on the acclaimed Paramount Television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, eventually advancing to Visual Effects Supervisor. He later produced visual effects for Star Trek: Voyager and contributed to sequences in the Star Trek feature films Generations and Insurrection.
In 2004, Delara wrote, directed, and edited his first feature film, English as a Second Language, featuring Kuno Becker, Maria Conchita Alonso, and Michael Higgins. The drama, loosely inspired by his experiences in Los Angeles, showcased his storytelling abilities. In 2009, under Cima Productions, he once again wrote, directed, and edited Bedrooms, starring Julie Benz, Moon Bloodgood, Xander Berkeley, and Barry Bostwick.
In 2011, Delara began working on Filly Brown, a passion project set in Los Angeles, starring Edward James Olmos, Jenni Rivera, Lou Diamond Phillips, and rising star Gina Rodriguez. The film follows a street rapper's rise to near pop stardom, blending a compelling family narrative with original underground hip hop music, appealing particularly to the third-generation American Latino audience. Filly Brown was selected for the Dramatic Competition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.
In 2013, Delara directed and edited Enter The Dangerous Mind, a psychological thriller that was featured at the 2014 SXSW Film Festival. The film, starring Nikki Reed, Scott Bakula, and Jason Priestley, delves into the disturbed mind of a psychotic EDM musician moments before a violent rampage.
Shifting genres in 2015, Delara wrote, directed, and edited the urban romantic comedy The Bounce Back, starring Shemar Moore, Bill Bellamy, and Nadine Velasquez. The story centers on a self-help love guru novelist and a clinical psychologist who become media sensations after a televised clash, only to develop a complicated romantic relationship.
Currently, Delara is developing a music-driven dramatic television series with BET and preparing to direct the courtroom drama and true story Foster Boy, scheduled for filming in the fall of 2017.
