Biography
Award-winning filmmaker and cinematographer, including four Emmy Awards, Christian Munoz-Donoso, has worked steadily as an industry professional for over 15 years. Through his company, Equilibrio Films, LLC, he has helmed productions ranging from feature films and wildlife documentaries to primetime television shows and commercials. It is with a fervent commitment to his craft that Christian continues to add to his growing list of accomplishments. Born in Chile in 1967, Munoz-Donoso grew up on the capital city, Santiago. It was his love for the wildlife documentaries he watched as a child on his Grandmother's small, black and white TV that caused his fascination with the idea of exploring the world through film. One of his most vivid childhood memories remains his first experience seeing movie in a theater. The big screen and surround sound captured his imagination. It wasn't until the 1979 premiere of the BBC series, Life on Earth, hosted by naturalist and broadcasting icon, David Attenborough, however, that his fate as a filmmaker was sealed. In the late 1990's, Christian, through his company Equilibrio Producciones, Ltda, created, produced and filmed the series, Super Salvaje (Super Wild). The series, which aired in primetime for two seasons on Chilean National television, gained the attention of Discovery Networks, BBC, and National Geographic. It was also during this time that Munoz-Donoso filmed the documentary that would garner the attention of three major film festivals. Atacama: The Flowering Desert, an up-close look into life in one of the harshest climates on the planet, earned him awards at the International Wildlife Film Festival, Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival, and Wildscreen Wildlife Film Festival and was aired on television in over 100 countries around the world. While capturing this extraordinary footage is his passion, it has not always left Christian unscathed. In 1997, on the final day of production on a documentary about mountain lions in the Andes, he found himself face-to-face with the same animal he had been filming just the day before: a 200lb, male mountain lion. With the help of a friend, Christian was able to fend off the animal and escape with his life, but not before spending 24 hours lying badly injured in a nearby cabin while the mountain lion circled outside. The attack may have left a few physical scars, it did not, however, prevent him from going back only a week later to continue filming. In 2001, Christian, along with his company, Equilibrio Films, moved to the United States and settled in Massachusetts. The images that he films today don't much resemble those that first inspired him on his Grandmother's small, black and white TV. Today he works with some of the latest digital cinema technology on the market creating feature films, commercials, and wildlife documentaries. In his recent films, OxyMorons and The Bond, Munoz-Donoso, continues to add to his growing list of accomplishments in digital filmmaking. In early 2009 production began on Wild View, a documentary series focused on the wildlife of New England. "Wild View" is New England's first wildlife documentary filmed in Ultra-High Definition, providing the sharpest images available. By capturing the beauty of the natural world, Christian hopes to educate viewers and inspire continuing preservation efforts. In 2011, Christian Munoz-Donoso's Wild View, earned four of seven Emmy Awards nominations including Outstanding Director, Outstanding Photography, Outstanding Audio and Outstanding Musical Composition.
