James Nilsen-Misra

Job Designation: Production Designer | Art Director | Set Decorator

Home Base: Cape Town | Johannesburg

OVERVIEW

James Nilsen-Misra is a production designer and art director with close to a decade of experience building production-ready environments for feature film, series, documentary, and commercial work across South Africa, the United States, Europe, and India. He is the founding manager of Artappel Prop Hire, giving him a deep supplier and props network to draw on for every project. His credits include the feature "Memento Mori" (US) and "Srikanth" (India), which won the Best Film Grand Prix at the Cinema Without Barriers International Film Festival in Moscow, alongside commercial work for brands including Porsche, L’Oréal, and Renault. He has collaborated with Oscar- and Emmy-winning directors and cinematographers, and is known by past collaborators as a meticulous, efficient partner who anticipates issues early and resolves them before they affect a shoot.    REQUEST CV

PRODUCTION DESIGNER

Feature Film

Documentary Series

Series

Short Film

Commercial (Branded Content)

ART DIRECTOR

Feature Film

Series

Commercial (Branded Content)

SET DECORATOR

Feature Film

SPECIALIST SKILLS

Location Scouting & Site Feasibility Research;  Supplier & Visual Reference Network (5,000+ suppliers, 3TB image archive);  CAD & Architectural Model-Building;  Prop House Ownership & Industry Relationships (Founding Manager, Artappel Prop Hire)

DIRECTORS WORKED WITH

Anthony Meindl

Arthur Degorce

Carsten Gutschmidt

Chris Roman

Chuanne Blofield

David Lister

Etienne Larragueta

Greg Francois

Ian Chuter

Jan Boon

Jonathan Parkinson

Jordan-Lee Garbutt

Jozua Malherbe

Marleux Feyt

Nicolò Bravetta

Oliver Halmburger

Tom Kuntz

Tushar Hiranandani

AWARDS & SPECIAL MENTIONS

• Best Film Grand Prix – Cinema Without Barriers International Film Festival, Moscow, for "Srikanth."
• Next Nordic Generation Award – Norwegian International Film Festival Haugesund, for the short film "Homebound."

REFEREES

Davina Mabel Hall – Producer (Flamingo Films)

Meike Varga – Producer (Groundglass Films)

Tammi Horstmann Welgemoed – Executive Producer (Platypus Productions)