FELLOWS
Satellite Fellows 2026
Delfine Paolini
THE BODY REMEMBERS
DELFINE PAOLINI CREATES PSYCHOLOGICAL CINEMA THAT EXAMINES GRIEF, MORAL CONSEQUENCE, AND THE BODY AS A SITE OF TRANSFORMATION.
Writer-director Delfine Paolini creates psychologically driven films that move through the body before language — works in which emotion manifests as atmosphere, physical sensation, and moral disturbance. Drawing from psychological horror, Senecan tragedy, and traditions of European art cinema, her films inhabit states of rupture, disorientation, and intimate transformation with an emphasis on visual rhythm over exposition. Emerging from New York’s downtown punk and visual arts communities, Paolini approaches cinema as a confrontation between the body and the image, creating works in which emotional meaning emerges through presence, rupture, and visual tension.
"NEAR WAKING"
A woman tries to interpret a physical transformation using the logic of her old life — and fails.
Near Waking is a psychological horror feature currently in development through Satellite Collective’s Fiscal Sponsorship Program. Set in New York City, the film follows a young woman struggling to understand a physical transformation that slowly severs her from the logic of her former life. Blending psychological horror with intimate character study, the film treats grief not as abstraction or metaphor, but as a condition experienced through the body itself — through perception, appetite, sensation, and decay. The project has received support from the Panavision New Filmmaker Program and sponsorship support from Kodak, and is currently in active development and financing.
CONDITIONS FOR PERSONAL CINEMA
BUILDING THE MATERIAL CONDITIONS NECESSARY FOR INDEPENDENT FILM TO EXIST
Paolini’s work advocates for a model of independent filmmaking rooted in artistic autonomy, regional production, and long-term cultural investment. In parallel with her film practice, she has engaged New York State legislators around new models for publicly supported microbudget filmmaking intended to expand access for artists working beyond traditional commercial structures. Her debut feature, A Wonderful Way with Dragons, screened at festivals worldwide and received over 55 international awards, helping establish the foundation for her current slate of feature projects.
