This article is part of a column called Philly Profiles, which features in-depth profiles of local moving-image artists and cultural workers, including their body of work, inspirations, and upcoming projects. The column is written by cinéSPEAK Philly Cultural Critics Fellows.
From spending hours at the bookstore and filming sports games as a kid to creating her own production company with her husband, Destiny Cox has always found ways to tell stories. The Philadelphia-based filmmaker and co-founder of WANO Studios recently debuted her latest self-directed project, You Were Dead Yesterday. The independent horror short has been recognized internationally, winning Best Short Film in the 2025 Paris Film Awards and the Gold Award at the London Movie Awards in addition to being an official selection in over 10 film festivals.
You Were Dead Yesterday demonstrates Cox’s dedication to crafting films that challenge perspectives on history, displacement, and survival. The film flips common horror tropes to offer a thoughtful critique of law enforcement. The story follows one family’s fight to live through a zombie apocalypse. Upon calling 911 for help, they quickly discover that the zombies aren’t their biggest threat. The work is sprinkled with references to notable historical events such as the 1985 MOVE bombing and the Flint, Michigan water crisis, highlighting the film’s theme of federal hostility toward Black communities. The movie stars WANO Studios co-founder and Cox’s husband Milo Cox alongside Angie Goode, Damien Wallace, Laura Michelle McDonald, and Nigesti Wilson.
Cox attributes much of her filmmaking style and approach to her background in political science and Africana studies. As a former pre-law student at Rutgers University turned self-made filmmaker and producer, Cox’s academic research on redlining, gentrification, and government neglect deeply influences her work. She aims to amplify underrepresented voices and foster community-driven storytelling.
Reflecting on the creative influences in her life, Cox reaches back to her childhood. “My dad had a camcorder and would create moments so we could watch it later. I was always in sports so that’s where my dad and I bonded…recording games that we’d go to…talk[ing] about what happened and telling other people.”
Cox also appreciates her mother and grandmother’s influence. “My grandmother had a plethora of [VHS tapes]…a corner of her room was just straight VHSs [of] stuff that she recorded,” she shares. Cox also absorbed stories at Barnes & Noble where her mom would take her in the summer, as well as her local AMC theater where she worked and got to watch movies for free.
Cox was introduced to the filmmaking scene in Philadelphia while visiting for a Sundance event before deciding to move here in 2018. She says, “There’s a very strong community in Philly [and] I felt so embraced…That’s where I got my start in making film…I started crafting my own stories then learning different methods of filmmaking.”
As Cox continued studying the craft, she took a hands-on approach to familiarizing herself with each job. She remembers, “Year three [of my filmmaking] became more intentional. [I was] learning the skill [of] being an AD, what kind of support a director needs, and what to expect from my own AD…[I was learning] screenwriting, and taking classes on how to carry a story and working with a culturalist or archivist [to have] those stories be authentic.”
The Coxes officially launched WANO Studios at the end of 2024. The independent production company aims to amplify undertold stories and counter mainstream bias. Cox reflects on how identifying her own cultural blind spots has helped shape some of those objectives. “Coming to Philly, I didn’t know anything about the MOVE project, and I grew up in central Jersey an hour away…I [also] didn’t know that the Black Panther Party was in Philly. There’s so much information that gets lost when you’re specifically told a certain narrative of history.”
The recognition that such pivotal historical events had gone unnoticed by many of the surrounding communities led Cox to want to make films that challenge which stories do and don’t get told. “Although I’m not from Philly, I try my best to represent what I’ve learned authentically, continue to involve people who are from [here], and to amplify those voices who have influenced me,” she shares.
Cox hopes to contribute to the growing economy of independent film in Philadelphia. Thinking beyond the films she makes with WANO Studios, Cox considers the production company’s aspiring role in the local scene: “There are opportunities being stripped left and right, and Philly’s not necessarily as competitive budget-wise [as] New York, LA, and the growing market in Atlanta. So we wanted to highlight how we need opportunities as well, in order to compete in every aspect of film.” WANO is an acronym that stands for “Where Art Needs Opportunity.” Their work spans commercial TV, film, event production, and talent management, offering production services including directing, cinematography, screenwriting, voiceover, editing, and more.
Also core to Cox’s work is honoring Black and brown perspectives in various genres of media. “We started WANO Studios because there’s an influx [of film and media content] that’s more stereotypical [and] very violent [in] the way it depicts Black people and underrepresented communities…We wanted to curate stories that show more fantasy, sci-fi, and horror, but not something that’s trauma porn…We wanted to showcase Blackness and BIPOC communities in different lights and control our own narratives.”
WANO celebrates its largest crew to date with You Were Dead Yesterday, completing production in two days with a team of 35 primarily local creatives of color. Previously, it was normal for Cox to take on various roles in a production as an independent filmmaker. “We’ve done everything from directing to coloring, producing, being a PA…and just holding so many different hats, because that’s what you have to do when you’re independent filmmaking [when] the budget is minimal.”
Although there were many benefits of having such a large and supportive crew, it required some adjusting for Cox, who was accustomed to a more DIY approach. Cox remembers, “In the beginning, I was doing the work of my AD and my second AD, and they were like, ‘Okay, what do you want us to do now?’ [I’d] never had that kind of support before. [So they told me], ‘You’re gonna have to focus on the creative part.’ So that was new.”
Cox uplifts the trust that was built with her team and extends accolades to the crew of You Were Dead Yesterday, including Milo Cox (producer, actor, and editor), Annette Burgess (assistant director), Stephen Jones (director of photography), Gabrielle Patterson (second assistant director), and many others.
Cox is currently in development for an upcoming project called We Were Human about the digitization of the military and Black American soldiers. Make sure to follow Cox to keep up with her latest film projects.
*Featured Image: Image of Destiny Cox. Photo credit: Torian Studios.
Caitlin Green is a Philly-based dance artist whose practice centers the body’s role in holistic wellness, catharsis, and socioemotional regulation. In addition to their work in choreography, performance, and education, they are a writer for the local dance publication thINKingDANCE and first-time director for the experimental dance film Eros: Fragile as it is Free. Caitlin is a 2025 cinéSPEAK Philly Cultural Critics Fellow.
