David Tappan is an award-winning director who’s work spans the commercial, music video, documentary, and narrative film worlds.

Tappan has a distinct eye for merging character-driven and high-concept storytelling. His inventive, boldly visual aesthetic is at once intimate and epic, bending genre conventions while keeping emotions grounded in nuanced characters. Combining elements of horror, sci-fi, thriller, and character drama — his films are made with the belief that genre audiences crave thought-provoking cinema.

Tappan’s short film, Universe 25, won Best Horror/Suspense Film at the 2024 Comic-Con International. Oscar-qualifying film festivals have celebrated his films, including Cleveland International and Nashville Film Fest. His work has been selected for prestigious Méliès festivals such as Lund Fantastic, placing his work among the best genre films in Europe. He has strong ties to the genre community and has shared his shorts at premiere genre fests such as ScreamFest, Sci-Fi London, Boston Sci-Fi, and FilmQuest.

Tappan co-founded Level 11 Films with his sister and writing partner, Kelly Tappan. Universe 25, their flagship project, is a genre-bending Sci-Fi short film about a woman forced to undergo a bizarre psychological experiment. It is currently winning awards on the festival circuit and has been well-reviewed by critics. It has been described as “an awe-inspiring cinematic feat” by Overly Honest Reviews (4.5/5) and “about as good as a Sci-Fi short gets” by Film Threat (9.5/10). They are currently working on the full-length feature film adaptation.

With a fresh voice and keen eye for emotive storytelling, David Tappan is a director on the rise and definitely one to watch.