Nick Whelan is a New York based filmmaker whose work moves between independent artistic projects and select commissioned work. Rather than being “about” a subject in a conventional sense, his films are often demonstrations of attention, built through observation, sequencing, and ambience. He is interested in the musicality that emerges from movement within and between shots, and in discovering qualities of feeling rather than illustrating them. The three-part structure of haiku is an important influence: an image is established, complicated, and then opened by a final break. Through this process, his films seek to create a cinema that feels genuinely independent, less concerned with explanation than with making perception strange, vivid, and newly available.
SELECTED SCREENINGS & EXHIBITIONS
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The Church, Sag Harbor — Insight Sunday talk and film screening
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Sag Harbor Cinema — Short film screening
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Integral Salon, Sag Harbor — Talk and film screening
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Stephen Talkhouse — "Shorts" screening
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Amagansett Square — Screening with Good Water Productions
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Sag Harbor Whaling Museum — “Local Stories” screening
GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS / AWARDS
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Tongie Award Nomination — 2018
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Vimeo Weekend Challenge Winner - 2016x
WORKSHOPS / TEACHING / COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
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Reutershan Trust Middle School Film Workshop — 2025
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HIFF Film Camp — Teacher — 2017, 2018
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Pierson Art Workshop — Guest Speaker — 2019
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iCAMP Film Workshop — 2018
TALKS / PANELS
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Artist Talk — The Church (Sag Harbor) — 2024
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Artist Talk — Integral Salon (Sag Harbor) — 2025
EDUCATION
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Ross School (East Hampton) — High School Diploma — 2010
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University of San Diego — B.A. — 2014
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Louisiana State University (LSU) — Master of Social Work — 2026