Christopher-Lee Dos Santos was born in Johannesburg, South Africa on April 2, 1986. He spent his formative years in his home country, studying filmmaking at the prestigious South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance, where he honed his craft until 2008.
During his time at film school, Dos Santos produced an impressive student short film, At Thy Call (2008),which garnered widespread recognition and accolades. The film made its debut at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival and the Winelands Film Festival, and went on to win numerous awards, including best film, best cinematography, and visual effects.
Dos Santos' first short feature film, Brothers in Arms: 1978, was a groundbreaking achievement, debuting at the age of 22 on the national broadcasting network M-Net in South Africa in 2006. This independent film, which he wrote, co-produced, and directed, won awards at the Apollo film festival and the KKNK (Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees) festival in Western Cape in the same year.
In 2011, Dos Santos directed his first full-length independent feature film, Angel of the Skies, a personal passion project that he wrote and saw through to completion over a period of four years. This critically acclaimed film tells the story of a South African Air Force pilot who volunteers to fly for the British Royal Air Force during World War II, and his diverse commonwealth bomber crew as they find themselves behind enemy lines.
Angel of the Skies was a testament to Dos Santos' dedication and perseverance, as he single-handedly handled the visual effects and post-production work in his own basement. The film's success secured international distribution through 27 territories, providing Dos Santos with the opportunity to showcase his skills to South African producers.
Dos Santos' screenplay for Last Broken Darkness, a post-apocalyptic film set in North America, was initially deemed too bold, but after the success of Angel of the Skies, the project was quickly greenlit. The film is currently in post-production and is set to be released later in 2016.
Throughout his career, Dos Santos has been praised for his ability to create feature films that exceed expectations in terms of production value, despite modest budgets. His peers have described him as a passionate and eccentric filmmaker who is unwavering in his commitment to his vision.
