Christi Cooper - Producer, Director, Camera

Producer/Director Christi Cooper is a PhD scientist, documentary filmmaker, and Emmy-award winning cinematographer. Christi focuses her storytelling and visual narratives on issues of justice and impact by creating human connections to the most pressing issues of our time. She left a successful academic and research career in Europe to obtain an MFA in Science & Natural History Filmmaking (graduate thesis: Contemporary Advocacy Filmmaking: Campaigns for Change). In 2011, Christi co-created Stories of TRUST: Calling for Climate Recovery, a 10-part documentary series featuring youth plaintiffs suing their state governments over climate change, with WITNESS, a social justice/human rights organization focused on using film for social change. The campaign was used to reach decision-makers and judges who were ruling on climate litigation brought to the courts by young people. She recently premiered her first feature documentary, YOUTH v GOV, at DocNYC. Her film awards include ReelWomen Direct Award for Excellence in Directing by a Woman from Cleveland International Film Festival; Best of Fest, Audience Award, and Best Feature Documentary from Woods Hole Film Festival; Honorary Mention for Documentary Feature from Bentonville Film Festival; Impact Award for Feature Film from EarthxFilm; Panda Award for Best Campaign Film from Wildscreen; among others. Christi is the inaugural SFFilm/Vulcan Productions Environmental Film Fellow and the first Jacob Burns Film Center Focus on Nature Artist-in-Resident.

In addition to communicating sometimes very complex issues through storytelling and visual narrative, her primary goals are to combine her research skills and in-depth knowledge of science with her desire to create compelling narratives focused on raising awareness about sociopolitical issues and justice. In her "free" time, she enjoys being a mother and a partner, growing her own food, and relishing in the incredible beauty and lifestyle of Montana.