John Chigas is an award winning student filmmaker actively telling stories from fictional and non-fictional worlds. John works above and below the line on student shorts, feature films, and his own projects.
My Story
Before deciding he wanted to become a filmmaker, John grew up making stop-action animations ("The Month of August") for fun. Through this process, John realized his passions were greater than what he could achieve on his own. His parents were supportive and encouraged him to transfer to Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan to complete his junior and senior years of high school. There, he starting directing live-action music videos ("Girls Don't Cry Wolf," "Doghouse") and short films including his Senior Thesis, "The Month of August."
John is now earning his BFA in Film & Digital Content Directing at Studio School Los Angeles (formerly known as Relativity School). In the past year, he has shot and directed several short films including his Sophomore Thesis film, "Instant Development" which was 101% backed on Indiegogo in just ten days.
John's animations, films, and music videos have been recognized by international audiences and have received awards from the National YoungArts Foundation, Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, and dozens of international film festivals including the All-American High School Film Fest, Michigan Student Film Fest, and the Los Angeles Awareness Fest.
John was born and raised outside Boston, Massachusetts by his Greek/Cambodian parents with his younger brother, Arthur and his dog, Argos. John is an avid sports fan, amateur cook, and passionate mental-health advocate. In his free time, John loves to skateboard, shoot film photography, and enjoy music at concerts.