2013 UMFF filmmaker tribute to
Christopher R. Coppola

Come to meet with him at Ceremony & Live Performances;Sunday, April 14, 6:00-7:30PM;
RHCC community Center, Auditorium; 735 Silver Spur Rd; Rolling Hills Estate, CA 90274

As President of Christopher R. Coppola Enterprises, Christopher Coppola has been a champion of and leader in digital media for over a decade. Since 1987, he has directed eight feature films and numerous television shows. He has developed and produced content for alternative distribution and interactive platforms. He premiered his "HD: American Portraits" on the Wal-Mart in-store network, which reached over 160 million people. Coppola is also known as the "Biker Chef" who travels the country's blue highways with his trusted comrade "Biker Cat" following a noble quest to celebrate the endless diversity of people, their cultures, and cuisine. Coppola's company produces a reality show series "The DigiVangelist" which features Coppola seeking out the latest innovations in creative technology, but making sure to keep the heart and soul of the human endeavor intact.
Coppola is deeply committed to education. His educational initiatives include the helping to build a High Definition Research Laboratory located at the San Francisco Art Institute, Coppola's Alma Mater. The state-of-the-art high definition lab provides equipment for shooting, editing, and viewing, enabling students and visiting artists to discover new, artistic uses for high definition technology. Coppola is also an adjunct film professor in the Broadcast Cinema Arts Department of Madonna University where a brand new sound stage and production studio is being used for his digital filmmaking program. Coppola frequently lectures at other schools like San Francisco Art Institute, CSU San Francisco, Chapman University, Columbia University Chicago, Los Angeles City College, University of Nevada Las Vegas, University of New Mexico Grants and Broadview School of Electronic Arts. He's also participated on many professional panels regarding Digital Filmmaking including HD Expo, NAB, SHOWWEST, American Film Market, DGA Digital Day, Cinequest, New Media Expo and ICE in Canada,
However, Coppola's dedication to digital education does not stop with students. In 2006 he created Project Accessible Hollywood (PAH), a non-profit organization that brings digital empowerment to underserved communities and individuals worldwide. Designed to reach the "everyday person," PAH seeks to educate people on using simple digital media while encouraging them to express themselves artistically. Through its free, new media festivals, PAH brings technology, education and community engagement, while supporting artistic expression through a digital storytelling competition. To date, Coppola has held forty four, digital media festivals, called PAH-FESTs, across the U.S. and abroad.
A member of the prolific Coppola family, Christopher studied music composition at Redlands University and film at the San Francisco Art Institute, where he received the prestigious California Arts Council young apprentice award for his opera and experimental film "Plato's Cave." He made several other award winning student films before graduating in 1985.