I’m Miléna Mikael-Debass, an Emmy Award-winning journalist, documentary filmmaker, and founder of Candid Productions.
I seek out stories that celebrate the resilience and creativity of people around the world.
From underground balls in Lagos to favelas in Rio de Janeiro, I've spent the past decade making character-driven documentaries about people navigating systems of power, identity, and culture.
I directed and produced short and longform documentaries at VICE News, notably an episode of the Peabody-winning Transnational and Black Lives Matter: A Global Reckoning, a docuseries I co-created on global racial justice movements. I’ve had the privilege of filming diverse voices, ranging from police whistleblowers to Afrofuturist creatives to UFO enthusiasts.
Earlier in my career, I produced breaking news for broadcast and digital at Al Jazeera English and HuffPost, and worked in Africa-focused grantmaking.
Through Candid Productions, I now direct independent documentaries and develop documentary-style content for impact-driven clients in the nonprofit and entertainment industries.
Raised in Côte d’Ivoire by Eritrean parents, I see parallels across the Global South, and that view runs through everything I make.