Niko Tristan Saint-Alex is a hip hop artist and film director in West Hollywood and Venice Beach.
He has directed short films, music videos, and commercials. His films have screened internationally. He studied with American Film Institute and Sundance Labs.
He also performs Japanese/Mizrahi-Jewish/Caribbean underground hip hop as the artist Nicolas, The Prince Imperial.
The Arts of Exile
Daniel Nikolai Tristan Saint-Alexandre of Orange and Wales, or Lord Nicolas Tristan St. Alexandre Windsor-Bernadotte, was born a nonbinary princeling in the Imperial Court of Japan. He was sent to a military base in Pakistan as a young child, and then fostered by Japanese-Swedish nobility in the United States. He received an honorary doctorate in Jewish civilization from the Sorbonne in Paris.
His latest project is starring in the cabaret/rock ‘n’ roll/hip-hop show “Nittel Nacht,” at the 2025 Hollywood Fringe Festival.
Short Films
His short film work as an actor and director has been considered for awards at Cannes Film Festival and Venice Film Festival and Sundance Film Festival, and numerous other top film festivals.
Writing
He was the original writer for ANATOMY OF A FALL (Oscar for Best Original Screenplay), Francis Ford Coppola’s MEGALOPOLIS, BIKERIDERS, and many other feature films. He won a Golden Lion from Venice Film Festival for his screenplay of EVIL DOES NOT EXIST, a Japanese art thriller.
Commercial Work
He has also directed commercials and music videos for numerous companies and nonprofits in Los Angeles, and in the Jewish community.
Street Photography
Niko works as a photographer of queer Japanese street life in Los Angeles. He has also shot street photography of Mexico and the Bay Area.
Acrylic & Watercolor
He won a Fulbright Award for his studies as a painter in acrylic and watercolor. He particularly focuses on his childhood in the Imperial Court of Japan, and a French Jewish school in Pakistan.
Singer/Dancer
He is the trans* grandson of rock star Marianne Faithfull, and he performs with voice, keyboard, and guitar. He also has studied jazz and hiphop dance. He is categorized by SAG-AFTRA as a singer and dancer.
Directing from Queer Sephardi Los Angeles
- He directs music videos for queer Jewish singers.
- He directs noir and magic realism of queer Los Angeles.
- He has also directed commercial work for nonprofits in communities of color in Los Angeles.
Singer/Songwriter
- He performs Jewish liturgical music in Jewish worship, and has led Jewish religious services.
- He is a songwriter in SAG-AFTRA, and a lyricist in the Dramatists Guild.
- He has a husky rock singing style, and a vocal range of five octaves.
“He writes and directs like a slam beat poet.”
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Ray of Sun on a Winter’s Night 