Christopher Frierson is a documentary filmmaker and cinematographer. His early work found him producing, shooting, and helming projects varying from social justice and culturally explorative films such as Dirty Pictures (SXSW 2010) and The House I Live in (Sundance 2012) to music-video and branded projects for the likes of bands like Arcade Fire and brands like the NFL. Chris’ feature work has also included producing and shooting the Eugene Jarecki-directed documentary film THE KING (Cannes 2017 / Sundance 2018), for which he received both Emmy and Grammy nominations for Best Music Film. In 2019, he created, produced, and hosted the award-winning documentary podcast FREAKNIK: A Discourse on a Paradise Lost. In 2020, Frierson was nominated for the Albert Mayles New Director Award at the Tribeca Film Festival for his work on his debut feature DON’T TRY TO UNDERSTAND : A Year in the Life of Earl "DMX" Simmons (Tribeca / New York Film Festival) which was released on HBO in 2021. In 2022 he co-directed Blowin Money Fast (Jigsaw/Starz) a multi-part series focused on the legendary Atlanta-based criminal organization commonly known as The Black Mafia Family. Chris most recently directed the feature length documentary The Legacy of J Dilla (FX /HULU) series which was nominated for an Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary award at the 2024 News & Documentary Emmys. Originally from the suburbs of Mid-Michigan and after a 15 year stint living and working in New York City, Chris currently is at work on a documentary project exploring both post-George Floyd activism and American policing in the birthplace of the Civil Rights movement, the capital of The New South, and the city he now lovingly calls home, Atlanta Georgia.

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ABOUT Untitled Cop City Project

In the wake of the uprisings of 2020, the city of Atlanta announced plans to construct the largest police training facility in America. The ensuing years would see pitched political battles in city hall, mass mobilization in the streets, an activist shot dead in a forest, and a city divided.

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Film

Untitled Cop City Project

Program Affiliation

Firelight Fund

Cohort Year

2025