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Christian Filippella

Director, producer, cinematographer and writer · Born December 20, 1975 (50) · Benevento, Campania, Italy

Christian Filippella is an Emmy Award Nominated and winning producer, director and cinematographer, member of the Producers Guild of America and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS). He holds a law degree and two masters in film directing. In 2005 Christian Filippella received his diploma in film directing from the prestigious Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia (SCS), National Film School, in Italy. In 2006 Christian Filippella won the only bursary from the American Government for an Italian filmmaker to take a Master in film directing in the United States. In 2008 he obtained his second MFA in film directing from the American Film Institute (AFI) after also entering UCLA, USC and NYU. In addition to this Fulbright Scholarship he was also awarded the Philip Morris Award twice, the Sergio Corbucci Prize, the Panavision and the Arri Award. He is been a recipient of many awards and his films have been featured all over the world and in many international film festivals. In 2018 he was awarded the Life Achievement Award and the Golden Halo Award by the Motion Picture Council. in 2024 Mr. Filippella has been nominated for an Emmy as a producer in category 1 for Outstanding Drama Series with 'The Bay'. Christian Filippella has directed, produced and shot several acclaimed feature films starring several Oscar winners and Oscar nominees. He is also known for his cinematography work in films, music videos and commercials. He produced, directed and filmed his latest documentary Aloha Spirit Rising (Cosmic Consciousness) on his own, spending a year in the off-the-grid jungle of Puna on the east side of Big Island. Mr. Filippella speaks fluently Italian, English and Spanish.

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Biography from IMDb.

Born
December 20, 1975 (50)
From
Benevento, Campania, Italy
Works as
Director, producer, cinematographer and writer
Titles
8 on Motif · 12 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 13% in 30 days

What are Christian Filippella's films like?

Across their 7 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Survival.

Genres

Action3 titlesTypical Motif score: 13th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Family2 titlesTypical Motif score: 8th percentile
: browse their Family movies

Their Motif films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Motif score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Society
19%
Survival
19%
Bonds
17%
Morality
15%
Ideas
13%
Self
10%
Power
7%
Survival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeLegacy2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeHope2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 7 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 3 · Serious 3 · Dark 1

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 4 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 4 · Charged 1 · Intense 2

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 4 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 4 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 5 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
4
Tense
4
Hopeful
2
Joyful
2
Contemplative
1
Other
3

How their films linger

Feel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet1
  • Ambiguous2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Christian Filippella's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 8 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Christian Filippella's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Motif score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

12 credits, 8 with a Motif page.

  • Hellfire(2026)

    Producer

    Motif score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Mafia Wars(2024)

    Producer

    Motif score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose(2023)

    Executive Producer

    Motif score: 24th percentile of all films

  • The Genius of Gianni Versace Alive(2022)

    Producer

    Motif score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Magic Max(2020)

    Cinematographer

    Motif score: 9th percentile of all films

  • A Place Called Hollywood (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2019)

    Producer

  • Shepherd: The Story of a Jewish Dog(2019)

    Producer

    Motif score: 44th percentile of all films

  • This Is Our Christmas(2018)

    Director · Cinematographer · Producer · Writer

    Motif score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Beverly Hills Christmas(2015)

    Cinematographer · Producer

    Motif score: 6th percentile of all films

  • Silver Case (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2012)

    Director · Writer · as Counselor

  • Narcissus Dreams (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2009)

    Director · Writer

  • Follow the Shadows (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2004)

    as Patrigiano #1

Career shape

A full career of 7 titles from 2004 to 2023.

Biggest box office

The Genius of Gianni Versace Alive (2022)

$29K worldwide

Highest rated

Shepherd: The Story of a Jewish Dog (2019)

Motif 44th

Most popular right now

Hellfire (2026)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting2 of 7: 1 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting3 of 7: 0 only directing, 3 with another roleWriting2 of 7: 0 only writing, 2 with another roleProducing3 of 7: 2 only producing, 1 with another roleCinematography2 of 7: 1 only cinematography, 1 with another role

7 titles, 3 with more than one role — directing and producing overlap on 1 of them.

By decade

2000s2 · 1 acting · 1 crew2010s3 · 1 acting · 3 crew2020s2 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it.

How do Christian Filippella's films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 11th percentile, the median of all 8; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 21st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

21stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Approval · how many liked their films

20thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Reach · how many have seen their films

66thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Motif score across 8 titles, by percentile

  • 50th to 74th1
  • 25th to 49th1
  • Below 25th6

Shape of the crowd

4 of their 8 titles are Mixed.

  • Loved with Detractors1
  • Divisive2
  • Cult Classic1
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · director, writer, producer, cinematographer

This Is Our Christmas (2018)

95th percentile spread · 60% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

The Genius of Gianni Versace Alive (2022)

Motif 64th · 61% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 53/100 and the pacing 41/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Motif score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Christian Filippella work with?

People who share at least 2 of Christian Filippella's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Sasha Yelaun shares the most, 4.

Writers

Actors

Composers

Producers

Mixed roles