Chris Temple

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Chris Temple (Director).jpg

Chris Temple (born May 20, 1989) is an American documentary filmmaker. In 2012, he co-founded the non-profit production company Optimist with Zach Ingrasci.

Contents

Career

Temple's first documentary was Living on One Dollar in 2012. [1] The film focuses on life in extreme poverty in the rural Guatemalan town of Pena Blanca. [2] It was co-created with Zach Ingrasci, Sean Leonard, and Ryan Christoffersen. The film released on Netflix in 2015. [3]

In 2015, Temple co-directed his second documentary Salam Neighbor . [4] The film documents life inside of the Za'atari refugee camp and was a co-production with 1001 Media. The film premiered at AFI Docs film festival in 2015 and released on Netflix in 2016. [5] The film was awarded the 2016 Muslim Public Affairs Council Annual Media Awards. [6]

Temple's filmography also includes co-directing The Undocumented Lawyer (HBO 2020), [7] Five Years North (PBS, 2020), [8] Free to Care (2022), [9] This Is Not Financial Advice (Fuse, 2023), [10] and Vitalik: An Ethereum Story (Amazon 2025). [11] He produced Rosa - These Storms (The Atlantic, 2016) [12] and ImillaSkate (Nowness, 2025). [13] Temple is also a frequent keynote speaker [14] and contributor to the Huffington Post. [15]

This Is Not Financial Advice, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2023. According to Investopedia, it "shows the human side of crypto, meme craze, and influencers." As the Verge put it, "unlike other efforts to document the boom of retail investing, This Is Not Financial Advice isn't a cheap content grab. This beautifully shot and scored documentary from Chris Temple and Zach Ingrasci is a genuine, if slightly naive, piece of art."

Optimist and Temple's 2025 feature documentary, State of Firsts, follows Rep. Sarah McBride's history-making campaign as the first transgender person ever to be elected to Congress. [16] [17] It premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in June, 2025. [18]

Directing filmography

YearTitleDirectorProducerExec ProducerNoteWatch
2026State of FirstsGreen check.svgFeature Documentary
2025Champions of the Golden ValleyGreen check.svgFeature Documentary
2025ImillaSkateGreen check.svgGreen check.svgShort DocumentaryNowness
2025Vitalik: An Ethereum StoryGreen check.svgGreen check.svgFeature DocumentaryAmazon
2024All Things MetalGreen check.svgShort DocumentaryRolling Stone
2023This Is Not Financial AdviceGreen check.svgGreen check.svgFeature DocumentaryFuse
2023AbundanceGreen check.svgShort DocumentaryYouTube
2022Free to CareGreen check.svgGreen check.svgShort DocumentaryDOC+
2022Paperboy Love PrinceGreen check.svgShort DocumentaryYouTube
2021Five Years NorthGreen check.svgGreen check.svgFeature DocumentaryPBS
2021The Urchin DiverGreen check.svgShort DocumentaryYouTube
2020The Undocumented LawyerGreen check.svgGreen check.svgShort DocumentaryHBO
2016For My SonGreen check.svgShort DocumentaryYouTube
2016 Salam Neighbor Green check.svgGreen check.svgFeature DocumentaryNetflix
2015Rosa - These StormsGreen check.svgShort DocumentaryThe Atlantic
2012 Living on One Dollar Green check.svgGreen check.svgFeature DocumentaryNetflix

Awards

References

  1. ↑ Woodruff, Mandi. "These Guys Found Out The Hard Way What It's Like To Live On $1 A Day". Business Insider. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  2. ↑ "Optimist Film Living on One Dollar Documents Root Causes of Poverty and How You Can Help". finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  3. ↑ "15 Documentaries on Netflix That Will Make You A Better Person". Highsnobiety. 2017-11-09. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  4. ↑ Belhumeur, Jenna. "'Salam Neighbor' Explores Life Inside a Syrian Refugee Camp". WSJ. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  5. ↑ Seifman, Sam (2015-06-30). "Meet Your New Neighbors, The American Filmmakers". NPR. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  6. ↑ "Media Awards Honoree 'Salam Neighbor' Shines Light on Syrian Refugees". archive.mpac.org. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  7. ↑ Ravindran, Manori (2020-09-22). "HBO Latino Picks Up 'The Undocumented Lawyer' Documentary Short (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  8. ↑ Mintzer, Jordan (2020-11-30). "'Five Years North': Film Review | DOC NYC 2020". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  9. ↑ Tinoco, Armando (2022-11-07). "Austin Film Festival 2022 Winners Of Jury, Audience & Picture Awards". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  10. ↑ "'This Is Not Financial Advice' Shows Human Side of Crypto, Meme Craze, and Influencers". Investopedia. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  11. ↑ Goldsmith, Jill (2021-07-21). "How Optimist Raised $2M In Two Days For Cryptocurrency Documentary 'Ethereum: The Infinite Garden'". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  12. ↑ Ajaka, Nadine. "Rosa, by Living on One Productions - The Atlantic". www.theatlantic.com. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  13. ↑ Blakely, Brian (2025-07-02). "Vans' Inspiring New Film Highlights Bolivia's Indigenous Skateboarding Women". www.skateboarding.com. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  14. ↑ "Chris Temple". Future Proof. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  15. ↑ "Bombs Alone Won't Build A Stable Syria". HuffPost. 2017-04-11. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  16. ↑ "'State of Firsts' documentary explores Sarah McBride's historic first months in Congress". NBC News. 2025-06-04. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  17. ↑ Ramirez, Nikki McCann (2025-06-06). "'I'm More Confident Now': Sarah McBride Reflects on Trans Attacks in Congress". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  18. ↑ "State of Firsts | 2025 Tribeca Festival". Tribeca. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  19. ↑ Leaders, Real (2015-03-31). "Chris Temple and Zach Ingasci, Founders, Living on One". Real Leaders. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  20. ↑ Montgomery, Robert. "Where Art and Activism Meet: Zach Ingrasci Seeks to Create a More Equitable World Through Documentary Film". Points of Light. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  21. ↑ "2021 duPont-Columbia Awards Finalists | Columbia Journalism School". journalism.columbia.edu. Archived from the original on 2021-06-04. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  22. ↑ Tinoco, Armando (2022-08-15). "Imagen Awards Nominations: 'Encanto', Eugenio Derbez & 'West Side Story' Among Top Contenders". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  23. ↑ "40 UNDER 40". DOC NYC. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  24. ↑ Prusakowski, Steven (2024-07-09). "2024 Astra TV Awards Nominees Announced". Awards Radar. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
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