About Duran
Duran Jones is a graduate of The American Film Institute Conservatory, class of 2021. During his AFI tenure, he also graduated from the 2020 PGA Power of Diversity workshop, where his pilot “Daywalker,” was a standout. In 2021 he was selected as a Sundance Feature Film Producers Lab Fellow with the script "The Incredible Heist of Hallelujah Jones, which landed development with Netflix and 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks (Spike Lee). “Hallelujah” the short film proof of concept for that feature, produced by Jones, won the Grand Prix for Best Short and the Best Producer Award at the Holly Shorts Film Festival; qualifying for the Oscars. Jones is currently building his independent film slate under his company BLK MGC Content and completed a residency at the Mara Brock Akil "Writer's Colony."
Developing Projects
Format: TV Series
Genre: Fantasy
Logline: The day after his 25th birthday, egocentric fast rising corporate attorney, NaShariff Wallace learns he’s the descendent of an ancient African tribe of immortals called “Daywalkers” being hunted by traditional vampires called “Burners.” As the key to lifting the Burner’s curse, which would free them to live & kill in the daylight, NaShariff must fight to save everyone he loves from burner leader Cassidy.
Role: Creator, Producer, Co-writer
Format: Short
Genre: Drama
Logline: After spending 7 years in prison, Malcolm seeks to mend his relationship with his mother while devoting himself as a consistent and faithful new convert to Islam.
Role: Director, Writer, Producer
Format: Feature Film
Genre: Traumedy
Logline: During a season of extreme gun violence in Compton CA, a precocious book thief, who hears the voices of his dead parents, discovers that a novel belonging to his family is being auctioned off and with the help of the neighborhood matriarch, a 100-year-old black woman, he concocts a plan to steal it back. What follows is a hilarious, moving journey of a black boy learning to grieve and finding the will to continue living.
Role: Producer
Format: Feature Documentary
Genre: Documentary
Logline: Knowing that there’s more to my story than what’s been given, I will embark on a journey through my family history, beyond slavery, in hopes of linking me to the country and tribe of my origin.”
Role: Director, Producer
Zones
Format: TV Series
Genre: Crime Drama
Logline: Atlanta, GA 1990: A teenage girl with dreams of owning her own record label, is forced to take over her father's drug trafficking ring; while city officials employ a violent drug task force to clean the streets before the 1996 Olympic Games.
Role: Co-writer
Format: Short Film
Genre: YA Drama
Logline: An Indian American teenage girl, discovers a newfound appreciation for her Indian culture with help from her deceased grandmother.
Role: Director