ABOUT

Filmmaker, writer, and artist Chris Fiore, born 1959 in Norfolk, Virginia, received his BFA from Antioch College in 1984. In the late 80’s he was one of the founders of the Zone, a artist collective occupying an abandoned williamsburg warehouse at 104 South 4th St. Fiore showed at the East Village’s KOAP gallery in the early 90’s. His first documentary, Trip and Go Naked, edited over the course of five years between paid gigs won the Excellence in Sexual Theater award at the 2004 Arlene’s Grocery Picture Show. He went on to direct the feature documentary Backstage for Miramax, a behind the scenes look at Jay Z’s Hard Knock Life Tour. The film had a profitable run in theaters and is still occasionally in rotation on the Showtime network 17 years after it was made. Fiore has also directed documentaries on the making of the Victoria’s Secret Christmas Catalog, the band Paramore, as well as two prime time specials for Fox Television. His most recent documentary, Goodwoman, tells the story of Debra Goodman, an activist brutally arrested for filming the NYPD. Featured in several film festivals, Goodwoman won the Grand Jury Award at the 2016 LA Film Invasion film festival. He’s currently directing a documentary and web series on artist Ken Hiratsuka.

Fiore’s first feature film script, The Utopia Virus, was a finalist in the 2006 Final Draft Big Break Competition, garnering him representation and a Hollywood roller coaster ride as directors Darron Aronofsky, Tony Scott, andRenny Harlin all considered making the film. He also wrote the Wassup Obama ad, described by Salon.com as one of the most creative of the 2008 presidential campaign and winner of a Cannes Lion. He’s currently working on a series of film treatments for a Beijing based production company which is also breathing new life into The Utopia Virus by translating the script into Cantonese.

Fiore’s film work has directly influenced his art over the years, in his use of appropriated imagery, presentation of sequential images, and in the cinematically dynamic composition of his mosaic photography. Fiore is represented by the Ethan Pettit Gallery.