Writer/Director
Austin Film Festival
Christopher Yates is a writer and director from Tucson, Arizona. A graduate of the RTF program at UT Austin in 2019, Yates wrote and directed a handful of independent shorts before making his feature film debut with ‘American Spirit’, which made its world premiere at the Austin Film Festival in 2024. Currently based in Austin, he is the founder of Cruz Media and co-founder of the narrative production company, Fridge Poet Pictures. Known for his naturalistic storytelling style, Yates blends the lighthearted antics and dramatic entanglements of early adulthood, exploring themes of identity and the roles we play in other people’s stories.