About
Awards
2025 Nelson Mandela Reciprocal Exchange Award
2024 RIT Distinguished Alumni Award
2023 Kodak Vanguard Award
2021 International Cinematographers Guild Generation Next Change Maker
2014 Legacy Leader Award
2013 Four Time Gold ADDY Award
2010 Kodak Howard Bingham Award
Awards for Projects as Director of Photography
2025 Telly Award for “The Pincher”
2024 Le Train Bleu Award at the Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival for “El Funeral”
2023 Highly Commended International - Canberra Short Film Festival for “El Funeral”
2023 Winner GLAAD Media Awards - Outstanding Online Journalism for “Logos Trans Youth Town Hall”
2022 Vancouver International Film Festival, “The Melt Goes on Forever: The Art & Times of David Hammons”
2022 Sheffield Doc Fest, “The Melt Goes on Forever: The Art & Times of David Hammons”
2022 Palm Springs International Film Award Semi-Finalist, “Elizaville”
2022 Montreal Independent Film Festival for “Go Fetch Club”
2022 Chicago International Film Festival Gold Hugo Nomination, “The Melt Goes on Forever: The Art & Times of David Hammons”
2022 Judge’s Choice Award of Indianapolis Black Documentary Film Festival for “The Sun Rises in the East”
2022 Independent Spirit Award at the Detroit Black Film Festival for “The Sun Rises in the East”
2022 Contemporary Art Critic’s Prize at the Documentary Film Festival for “The Melt Goes on Forever: The Art & Times of David Hammons”
2022 Winner of New Jersey Fall Film Festival for “The Sun Rises in the East”
2022 Winner Urbanworld Audience Award for “The Melt Goes on Forever: The Art & Times of David Hammons”
2022 Winner Urbanworld Best Feature for “The Melt Goes on Forever: The Art & Times of David Hammons”
2022 Winner Programmers Choice Award for Documentary Feature from Bushwick Film Festival for “The Sun Rises in the East”
2022 Winner Best Mid-Length Documentary at the Montreal International Black Film Festival for “The Sun Rises in the East”
2022 Winner Best Documentary at The People’s Film Festival for “The Sun Rises in the East”
2022 Winner Best Web/TV Pilot Latino Film Market for “Go Fetch Club”
2022 Winner Best Web Comedy at Manhattan Film Festival for “Go Fetch Club”
2022 Winner Best Proof of Concept at Houston Comedy Film Festival for “Go Fetch Club”
2022 Winner Best Web/TV Pilot Toronto International Women Film Festival for “Go Fetch Club”
2022 Winner Best Indie Short at the Los Angeles Film Awards for “Go Fetch Club”
2022 Winner Best Indie Short at New York International Film Awards for “Go Fetch Club”
2022 Winner Best Original Story at New York International Film Awards for “Go Fetch Club”
2022 Winner Best Pilot at the New York Movie Awards for “Go Fetch Club”
2021 Winner Gold Telly Award Winner, Social Video: Social Impact for “vH1 Black Girl Beauty”
2020 Winner Cynopsis Best of the Best & Rising Star Award Best Lifestyle Reality Series Content for “vh1’s Black Girl Beauty”
Festivals
Big Apple Film Festival
Black Film Festival
Buffalo International Film Festival
Canberra Short Film Festival
Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival
DOC NYC
Documentary Film Festival on Contemporary Art
Fear No Film
Festival del Cine Venezulano
Festival de la Crítica Cinematográfica de Caracas
International Human Rights Film Festival Albania
New Cinema
New York Festival of New Cinema
New York Film Festival
Norwich Film Festival
Palm Springs International Film Festival
Philadelphia Latino Arts & Film Festival
River Film Festival
Secrets of the Dead Short Film Festival
Sheffield Doc Fest
Shorty Awards
SXSW
Sundance Film Festival
Toronto Black Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival
Upstate NY Horror Film Festival
Urbanworld
Victory International Film Festival
Honors
2025 International Cinematographers Guild Scholarship Committee
2024 International Cinematographers Guild Scholarship Committee
2023 American Society of Cinematographers Scholar
2023 International Cinematographers Guild Scholarship Committee
2021 International Cinematographers Guild Generation Next Change Maker
Publicity
November 2024 RIT “Grad Brings Together Black Women in the Film Industry”
February 2024 Vonti Talks Podcast, Ep 21
January 2024 Call Time Podcast, S1E9
July 2023 ICG Magazine “600 Black Women Los Angeles Meetup”
August 2022 ICG Magazine “Cooking with Cameras”
December 2021 ICG Magazine “Change-Makers”
Showcases
2024 Centre Pompidou's Prospectif Cinéma, El Funeral
2023 Art Basel, “The Melt Goes on Forever: The Art & Times of David Hammons”
2023 Weeksville Heritage Center “40 Acres”
2023 The Shed, Open Call “40 Acres”
2022 I Scherm dell’arte, The Melt Goes on Forever: The Art & Times of David Hammons”
2021 2022 Brooklyn Museum, Baseera Khan “I Am an Archive”
2021 Climate Action: Inspiring Change at the Peabody Essex Museum “Running”
2018 Time Square Campaign: Outdoor Advertising Association “Get Out of Home”
Award-Winning Black Woman Cinematographer | NYC-Based | Film, TV, Documentary, Commercial
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Chris Wairegi is an award-winning Black woman Cinematographer based in New York City, working across film, television, documentary, commercial, branded content, and experimental projects. Her visual work spans narrative and nonfiction storytelling, from short-form digital campaigns to feature-length films for streaming platforms, broadcast television, and theatrical release.
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As a freelance Director of Photography (DP), Chris brings a distinctive creative voice to every production. She is known for her skillful use of natural light, handheld camera movement, and intentional, emotional framing. Her dedication to both the art and craft of cinematography makes her a sought-after collaborator in the industry.
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Her work has screened at leading festivals such as Sundance, Tribeca, and SXSW, and her television credits include acclaimed series like Run the World, Flatbush Misdemeanors, and Survival of the Thickest. She has also shot programs like Black Girl Beauty and MTV’s Women in Rap.
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Chris is a proud member of IATSE Local 600, the International Collective of Female Cinematographers (ICFC), Brown Girls Doc Mafia (BGDM), Documentary Cinematographers Alliance (DCA), and SPORAS. Her achievements include four Gold ADDY Awards, the Kodak Howard Bingham Scholarship, and the first-ever Kodak Vanguard Award, recognizing her founding of 600 Black Women, a nonprofit advocating for Black and gender-expansive creatives in the camera department.
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A 2021 ICG Generation Next Change Maker, 2023 ASC Vision Scholar, and longtime advocate for representation in film, Chris continues to push boundaries as a feminist, educator, and visual storyteller.
