Christopher Martini's first entry into the film industry was as a child actor on a Feature Film for HBO, acting opposite John Lithgow. Chris fell in love with cinema after watching the films of Bergman, Fellini, Kurosawa and Welles. As early as high school, he was directing and shooting his own Hi8 movies, and editing them on VHS.
After high school, Chris landed a job as an apprentice editor, on a movie of the week for ABC, editing on 35mm film. Shortly after, he was accepted to NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts Film School on scholarship and offered a job as a teacher’s assistant in the editing department. In 1996, Chris graduated from NYU, and worked as a camera assistant, sound man, eventually settling into editing, working steadily for over fifteen years. He is a member of IATSE Local 700 (Editor’s Guild).
But while working in film and television, Chris never gave up on his directing path.
Chris’ short film, “The Stone Child,” about a Lakota Native American boy coming of age on the reservation, played at over 25 U.S. film festivals, winning Channel 13’s Reel Shorts contest, and was broadcast on PBS. “The Stone Child” was filmed on Super16mm, in 18-degree weather, in the Badlands of South Dakota, and involved non-professional Native American actors, and a herd of wild buffalo.
Chris’ first feature film, “Trooper,” about a returning Iraq War veteran, earned Chris the “Renaissance Man Award” at the 2011 Garden State Film Festival, as well as garnering the musical support of Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan. Chris was the writer, director, and star. The film received a glowing review in The Huffington Post, by Joshua Kors, award-winning journalist of veteran’s issues. “Trooper” received theatrical distribution through AAFES (Army & Air Force Exchange Service), Cinema on Demand, and is currently available on multiple streaming platforms worldwide.
Chris directed the feature film, "What The Night Can Do," written by Emmy Award Winner, Stuart Margolin "The Rockford Files" "Days of Heaven," and starring Stuart, Oscar Nominated JoBeth Williams "Poltergeist", Mercedes Mason "Fear of the Walking Dead," Max Martini "Captain Phillips", and Peyton Kennedy "Everything Sucks." "What The Night Can Do" was filmed on location in West Virginia, and was distributed worldwide by ITN.
“Pastalight”, Chris’ award-winning comedy short, won Best Short Film at Montana and Maui International Film Festivals, and was distributed on Alaska Airlines Inflight Entertainment.
Chris recently wrapped shooting, directing and editing, a documentary on Patriot artist and activist, Scott Lobaido. The film stars Lobaido, Rudy Giuliani, and Curtis Sliwa, and is Executive Produced by Global Ascension Studios (“Rush Hour” Franchise), and will be released theatrically in 2024.
In 2020, Chris was awarded Outstanding Brentonian Of The Year Award, by his high school in Mill Bay, British Columbia, Canada.
In 2023, Chris, along with his wife, Liz, established an art therapy program for Veterans, at Art Therapy Dallas, in Dallas, TX, where Veterans can deal with their trauma, through art.
Chris is a dual citizen (Italy), and the owner of Triple Martini Productions, Inc. He lives in Brooklyn, NY, with Liz, their son, Aidan, and their pitbull, Stella. He is excited about being a father, future projects, his new skillset of being a combination director and cinematographer, and the power of cinema to change lives.