Cristina Costantini, born and raised in Wisconsin, is an Emmy Award-winning director and producer renowned for her compelling documentaries that blend investigative rigor with heartfelt storytelling. A graduate of Yale University, Cristina began her career as an investigative journalist, delving into critical issues such as immigration, detention centers, and the opioid epidemic. Her impactful reporting earned her accolades, including a GLAAD Media Award, two Emmy nominations, and an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award. Transitioning to documentary filmmaking, Cristina co-directed "Science Fair," a film that follows nine high school students as they compete in the International Science and Engineering Fair. The documentary won the inaugural Festival Favorite Award at the Sundance Film Festival and an Emmy Award, cementing her reputation as a talented filmmaker. In 2020, Cristina co-directed "Mucho Mucho Amor," a documentary about the legendary astrologer Walter Mercado. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was later released on Netflix, receiving critical acclaim and a nomination for a Critics Choice Award. As a partner at Muck Media, a Los Angeles-based production company, Cristina continues to focus on character-driven storytelling that highlights underrepresented narratives. In 2024, Muck Media received 21 Emmy nominations, underscoring its commitment to impactful journalism and storytelling. Cristina resides in Los Angeles with her husband, Alfie, their daughter, Penny, and their elderly pug, Harriet.
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Biography from TMDB.
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
- Director, producer and writer
- 8 on MovieCove · 13 credits in all
What are Cristina Costantini's films like?
Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Society.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 4
Light 3 · Serious 1 · Dark 0
Grounded 4 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0
Gentle 3 · Charged 1 · Intense 0
Steady 3 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 0
Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0
Casual 3 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 4 · Affecting 0 · Heavy 0
Resolved 4 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy2
- Bittersweet4
- Ambiguous1
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 Cristina Costantini's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 8 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Cristina Costantini's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits 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
13 credits, 8 with a MovieCove page.
La Tierra del Valor (The Home of the Brave) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
Sally(2025)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all shows
We Can Be Heroes(2024)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
Open Wide (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
Science Fair: The Series (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)
Menudo: Forever Young(2022)
Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all shows
The Originals (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
Own the Room (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Home(2020)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows
Science Fair(2018)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Career shape
A full career of 12 titles from 2018 to 2026.
Awards
2 major awards from 4 major nominations, 2018–2026.
- Sundance award, nominated · Best Short Film
- Sundance award, won
- Sundance award, nominated · Documentary
- Sundance award, won · Festival Favorite
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Cristina Costantini's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 91st percentile, the median of all 5; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 89th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up5
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th1
Shape of the crowd
3 of their 8 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved2
- Crowd Pleaser3
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed2
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; 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 Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove 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 Cristina Costantini work with?
People who share at least 2 of Cristina Costantini's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Darren Foster shares the most, 4.
Cinematographers and editors
- Peter AltonShared titles: We Can Be Heroes (2024), Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado (2020), Science Fair (2018)See all 3 shared titles with Peter Alton
- Tom MaroneyShared titles: Sally (2025), Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado (2020), Science Fair (2018)See all 3 shared titles with Tom Maroney
- Christopher GillShared titles: The Stanford Prison Experiment: Unlocking the Truth (2024), Home (2020)See all 2 shared titles with Christopher Gill
- Alejandro Valdes-RochinShared titles: Menudo: Forever Young (2022), Science Fair (2018)See all 2 shared titles with Alejandro Valdes-Rochin
Producers
- Darren FosterShared titles: The Stanford Prison Experiment: Unlocking the Truth (2024), We Can Be Heroes (2024), Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado (2020), Science Fair (2018)See all 4 shared titles with Darren Foster
- Jennifer WoodShared titles: The Stanford Prison Experiment: Unlocking the Truth (2024), We Can Be Heroes (2024), Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado (2020), Science Fair (2018)See all 4 shared titles with Jennifer Wood
- Jeff PlunkettShared titles: Menudo: Forever Young (2022), Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado (2020), Science Fair (2018)See all 3 shared titles with Jeff Plunkett
- Alex SimmonsShared titles: We Can Be Heroes (2024), Science Fair (2018)See all 2 shared titles with Alex Simmons
