Justin Chandra

Justin Chandra received his Master's degree in Directing from the American Film Institute (AFI) in 2012. He wrote and directed his thesis film Pyro & Klepto, an unconventional love story between a young kleptomaniac and pyromaniac. Before AFI, Justin graduated from San Francisco State University with a BA in Cinema, with an emphasis in Film Production.

He has worked on numerous projects ranging from short to feature-­‐length independent films, each in different capacities. He has directed several short films, including the film Hollow, which received the ""Creative Vision"" award from the 2008 DVX LoveFest online film festival. He also has a background in post-­‐production, having edited numerous shorts and music videos. In 2009, he edited the independent feature film The Perfect Woman, which received the “John Muir Gold Award” at the 2009 Yosemite Film Festival. He also served as a Visual Effects Artist on several projects, including completing all of the visual effects work in Pyro and Klepto. In addition, Justin worked for three years as a News Video Editor and Video Photographer at the FOX affiliate in Fresno, California.

As a director, Justin feels that having a well-­‐rounded knowledge of production and post-­‐production helps him to tell stories more effectively. His work often times centers around the theme of isolation, and the consequence it has on an individual's relationship with others and his or her surroundings. It is a theme that he is fascinated by, and can be found in much of his work, including Pyro and Klepto.