# Chris Temple

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**Chris Temple** (born May 20, 1989) is an American documentary filmmaker. In 2012, he co-founded the 2x Emmy-nominated non-profit production company Optimist alongside Zach Ingrasci.

## Career

Temple's first documentary was *[Living on One Dollar](/source/Living_on_One_Dollar)* in 2012.[1] The film focuses on life in extreme poverty in the rural Guatemalan town of Pena Blanca.[2] It was co-created with Zach Ingrasci, Sean Leonard, and Ryan Christoffersen. The film released on Netflix in 2015.[3]

In 2015, Temple co-directed his second documentary *[Salam Neighbor](/source/Salam_Neighbor)*.[4] The film documents life inside of the Za'atari refugee camp and was a co-production with 1001 Media. The film premiered at [AFI Docs](/source/AFI_Docs) film festival in 2015 and released on Netflix in 2016.[5] The film was awarded the 2016 [Muslim Public Affairs Council](/source/Muslim_Public_Affairs_Council) Annual Media Awards.[6]

Temple's filmography also includes co-directing *The Undocumented Lawyer* (HBO 2020),[7] *Five Years North* (PBS, 2020),[8] *Free to Care* (2022),[9] *This Is Not Financial Advice* (Fuse, 2023),[10] and *Vitalik: An Ethereum Story* (Amazon 2025).[11] He produced *Rosa - These Storms* (The Atlantic, 2016)[12] and *ImillaSkate* ([Nowness](/source/Nowness), 2025).[13] Temple is also a frequent keynote speaker[14] and contributor to [the Huffington Post](/source/HuffPost).[15]

*This Is Not Financial Advice,* premiered at the [Tribeca Film Festival](/source/Tribeca_Festival) in June 2023. According to [Investopedia](/source/Investopedia), it "shows the human side of crypto, meme craze, and influencers." As [the Verge](/source/The_Verge) put it, "unlike other efforts to document the boom of retail investing, *This Is Not Financial Advice* isn't a cheap content grab. This beautifully shot and scored documentary from Chris Temple and Zach Ingrasci is a genuine, if slightly naive, piece of art."

In 2024, Temple Executive Produced the feature documentary *Champions of the Golden Valley.* The film is also Executive Produced by Nobel-Laureate [Malala Yousafzai](/source/Malala_Yousafzai) and Emmy and Tony nominated actor, [Arian Moayed](/source/Arian_Moayed). The Oscar-qualified film was acquired in December 2025 by the Olympics.com.[16]

Optimist and Temple's 2025 feature documentary, *[State of Firsts](/source/State_of_Firsts)*, follows Rep. [Sarah McBride](/source/Sarah_McBride)'s history-making campaign as the first transgender person ever to be elected to Congress.[17][18] The film is directed by [Chase Joynt](/source/Chase_Joynt). It premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in June, 2025.[19]

## Directing filmography

Year Title Director Producer Exec Producer Note Watch 2026 State of Firsts Feature Documentary 2025 Champions of the Golden Valley Feature Documentary The Olympics.com 2025 ImillaSkate Short Documentary Nowness 2025 Vitalik: An Ethereum Story Feature Documentary Tubi 2024 All Things Metal Short Documentary Rolling Stone 2023 This Is Not Financial Advice Feature Documentary Fuse & Tubi 2023 Abundance Short Documentary YouTube 2022 Free to Care Short Documentary Documentary+ 2022 Paperboy Love Prince Short Documentary YouTube 2021 Five Years North Feature Documentary PBS 2021 The Urchin Diver Short Documentary YouTube 2020 The Undocumented Lawyer Short Documentary HBO 2016 For My Son Short Documentary YouTube 2016 Salam Neighbor Feature Documentary Netflix 2015 Rosa - These Storms Short Documentary The Atlantic 2012 Living on One Dollar Feature Documentary Netflix

## Awards

- 2015 Top 100 Visionary Leaders by Real Leaders Magazine[20]
- 2017 Daily Point of Light Award[21]
- 2020 DuPont-Columbia Award Finalist for outstanding journalism[22]
- 2022 Imagen Award Finalist[23]
- 2022 40 Under 40 by HBO and [DOC NYC](/source/Doc_NYC)[24]
- 2024 Nominee for the Astra Award for Best Feature Documentary[25]
- 2205 Winner for Best Social Impact Production Company
- 2026 Nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Sports Feature: Long Form[26]
- 2026 Nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Sports Documentary: Long[27]

## References

1. Woodruff, Mandi. ["These Guys Found Out The Hard Way What It's Like To Live On $1 A Day"](https://www.businessinsider.com/what-its-like-to-live-on-1-a-day-documentary-chris-temple-zach-ingrasci-2012-12). *Business Insider*. Retrieved 2022-12-16.

1. ["Optimist Film Living on One Dollar Documents Root Causes of Poverty and How You Can Help"](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/optimist-film-living-one-dollar-204607394.html). *finance.yahoo.com*. Retrieved 2022-12-16.

1. ["15 Documentaries on Netflix That Will Make You A Better Person"](https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/inspirational-documentaries-netflix/). *Highsnobiety*. 2017-11-09. Retrieved 2022-12-16.

1. Belhumeur, Jenna. ["'Salam Neighbor' Explores Life Inside a Syrian Refugee Camp"](http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2016/03/17/salam-neighbor-explores-life-inside-a-syrian-refugee-camp/). *WSJ*. Retrieved 2022-12-16.

1. Seifman, Sam (2015-06-30). ["Meet Your New Neighbors, The American Filmmakers"](https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2015/06/30/411541010/meet-your-new-neighbors-the-american-filmmakers). *NPR*. Retrieved 2022-12-16.

1. ["Media Awards Honoree 'Salam Neighbor' Shines Light on Syrian Refugees"](https://archive.mpac.org/blog/updates/media-awards-honoree-salam-neighbor-shines-light-on-syrian-refugees.php). *archive.mpac.org*. Retrieved 2022-12-16.

1. Ravindran, Manori (2020-09-22). ["HBO Latino Picks Up 'The Undocumented Lawyer' Documentary Short (EXCLUSIVE)"](https://variety.com/2020/film/global/hbo-latino-acquires-the-undocumented-lawyer-documentary-1234779341/). *Variety*. Retrieved 2022-12-16.

1. Mintzer, Jordan (2020-11-30). ["'Five Years North': Film Review | DOC NYC 2020"](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/five-years-north-film-review-doc-nyc-2020-4097896/). *The Hollywood Reporter*. Retrieved 2022-12-16.

1. Tinoco, Armando (2022-11-07). ["Austin Film Festival 2022 Winners Of Jury, Audience & Picture Awards"](https://deadline.com/2022/11/austin-film-festival-2022-winners-jury-audience-picture-awards-1235165199/). *Deadline*. Retrieved 2022-12-16.

1. ["'This Is Not Financial Advice' Shows Human Side of Crypto, Meme Craze, and Influencers"](https://www.investopedia.com/this-is-not-financial-advice-documentary-dives-into-human-side-of-crypto-trading-meme-stocks-and-influencers-7510465). *Investopedia*. Retrieved 2023-07-01.

1. Goldsmith, Jill (2021-07-21). ["How Optimist Raised $2M In Two Days For Cryptocurrency Documentary 'Ethereum: The Infinite Garden'"](https://deadline.com/2021/07/optimist-ethereum-gamestop-meme-stocks-vitalik-buterin-1234797317/). *Deadline*. Retrieved 2022-12-16.

1. Ajaka, Nadine. ["Rosa, by Living on One Productions - The Atlantic"](https://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/411649/rosa-a-story-of-survival/). *www.theatlantic.com*. Retrieved 2022-12-16.

1. Blakely, Brian (2025-07-02). ["Vans’ Inspiring New Film Highlights Bolivia’s Indigenous Skateboarding Women"](https://www.skateboarding.com/news/vans-inspiring-new-film-highlights-bolivias-indigenous-skateboarding-women). *www.skateboarding.com*. Retrieved 2025-08-07.

1. ["Chris Temple"](https://futureproof.advisorcircle.com/speakers/chris-temple/). *Future Proof*. Retrieved 2022-12-16.

1. ["Bombs Alone Won't Build A Stable Syria"](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bombs-alone-wont-build-a-stable-syria_b_58ed2db3e4b081da6ad00875). *HuffPost*. 2017-04-11. Retrieved 2022-12-16.

1. Carey, Matthew (2025-12-08). ["Olympics.com Acquires Award-Winning Documentary ‘Champions Of The Golden Valley’ As Film Seeks Podium At Academy Awards"](https://deadline.com/2025/12/champions-of-the-golden-valley-olympics-com-acquisition-1236642136/). *Deadline*. Retrieved 2025-12-09.

1. ["'State of Firsts' documentary explores Sarah McBride's historic first months in Congress"](https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-politics-and-policy/sarah-mcbride-state-firsts-documentary-congress-transgender-delaware-rcna209600). *NBC News*. 2025-06-04. Retrieved 2025-08-07.

1. Ramirez, Nikki McCann (2025-06-06). ["'I'm More Confident Now': Sarah McBride Reflects on Trans Attacks in Congress"](https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/sarah-mcbride-interview-trans-lawmaker-state-of-firsts-1235357604/). *Rolling Stone*. Retrieved 2025-08-07.

1. ["State of Firsts | 2025 Tribeca Festival"](https://tribecafilm.com/films/state-of-firsts-2025). *Tribeca*. Retrieved 2025-08-07.

1. Leaders, Real (2015-03-31). ["Chris Temple and Zach Ingasci, Founders, Living on One"](https://real-leaders.com/chris-temple-and-zach-ingasci-founders-living-on-one/). *Real Leaders*. Retrieved 2022-12-16.

1. Montgomery, Robert. ["Where Art and Activism Meet: Zach Ingrasci Seeks to Create a More Equitable World Through Documentary Film"](https://www.pointsoflight.org/awards/where-art-and-activism-meet-zach-ingrasci-seeks-to-create-a-more-equitable-world-through-documentary-film/). *Points of Light*. Retrieved 2022-12-16.

1. ["2021 duPont-Columbia Awards Finalists | Columbia Journalism School"](https://web.archive.org/web/20210604104637/https://journalism.columbia.edu/2021-dupont-columbia-awards-finalists). *journalism.columbia.edu*. Archived from [the original](https://journalism.columbia.edu/2021-dupont-columbia-awards-finalists) on 2021-06-04. Retrieved 2022-12-16.

1. Tinoco, Armando (2022-08-15). ["Imagen Awards Nominations: 'Encanto', Eugenio Derbez & 'West Side Story' Among Top Contenders"](https://deadline.com/2022/08/imagen-awards-nominations-2020-list-tv-film-1235091747/). *Deadline*. Retrieved 2022-12-16.

1. ["40 UNDER 40"](https://www.docnyc.net/about-us/40-under-40/). *DOC NYC*. Retrieved 2022-12-16.

1. Prusakowski, Steven (2024-07-09). ["2024 Astra TV Awards Nominees Announced"](https://awardsradar.com/2024/07/09/astra-tv-awards-2/). *Awards Radar*. Retrieved 2024-10-04.

1. Schneider, Michael (2026-03-25). ["Tom Brady, Jason Kelce, Charles Barkley Among 47th Annual Sports Emmy Awards Nominees (FULL LIST)"](https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/sports-emmy-awards-nominees-tom-brady-jason-kelce-1236698583/). *Variety*. Retrieved 2026-03-25.

1. Pedersen, Erik (2026-03-25). ["Sports Emmys Nominations 2026 List"](https://deadline.com/2026/03/sports-emmys-nominations-2026-list-1236764734/). *Deadline*. Retrieved 2026-03-25.

## External links

- [Chris Temple](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5459476/) at IMDb
- [Official website](https://optimist.co/team/chris/)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Chris Temple](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Temple) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Temple?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.