Chris Temple
American documentary filmmaker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
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Chris Temple | |
|---|---|
Temple in 2022 | |
| Alma mater | Claremont McKenna College |
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."
In 2024, Temple Executive Produced the feature documentary Champions of the Golden Valley. The film is also Executive Produced by Nobel-Laureate Malala Yousafzai and Emmy and Tony nominated actor, Arian Moayed. The Oscar-qualified film was acquired in December 2025 by the Olympics.com.[16]
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.[17][18] The film is directed by Chase Joynt. It premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in June, 2025.[19]
Directing filmography
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Exec Producer | Note | Watch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | State of Firsts |  |
Feature Documentary | |||
| 2025 | Champions of the Golden Valley | |
Feature Documentary | The Olympics.com | ||
| 2025 | ImillaSkate | |
|
Short Documentary | Nowness | |
| 2025 | Vitalik: An Ethereum Story | |
|
Feature Documentary | Tubi | |
| 2024 | All Things Metal | |
Short Documentary | Rolling Stone | ||
| 2023 | This Is Not Financial Advice | |
|
Feature Documentary | Fuse & Tubi | |
| 2023 | Abundance | |
Short Documentary | YouTube | ||
| 2022 | Free to Care | |
|
Short Documentary | Documentary+ | |
| 2022 | Paperboy Love Prince | |
Short Documentary | YouTube | ||
| 2021 | Five Years North | |
|
Feature Documentary | PBS | |
| 2021 | The Urchin Diver | |
Short Documentary | YouTube | ||
| 2020 | The Undocumented Lawyer | |
|
Short Documentary | HBO | |
| 2016 | For My Son | |
Short Documentary | YouTube | ||
| 2016 | Salam Neighbor | |
|
Feature Documentary | Netflix | |
| 2015 | Rosa - These Storms | |
Short Documentary | The Atlantic | ||
| 2012 | Living on One Dollar | |
|
Feature Documentary | Netflix |