Chris Moukarbel is a film director, writer, producer, contemporary artist [1] and runs the award winning production company Permanent Wave Productions.[2] His first feature documentary Me at the Zoo (Me @ The Zoo) premiered in competition at Sundance Film Festival in 2012[3] and was acquired by HBO Documentaries.[4] The film charts the rise of YouTube and tells the story of an early viral Internet celebrity, Chris Crocker of “Leave Britney Alone!” fame. Moukarbel was approached by Sheila Nevins to direct[5] the Emmy nominated documentary Banksy Does New York for HBO.
He is also the creator and director of the HBO series Sex On // which takes a look at sex and relationships in the Information age. It was conceived as a reboot of the classic show Real Sex.[6][7][8] His work often explores technology and identity.[9]
Moukarbel directed and produced the award winning film Gaga: Five Foot Two.[10][11] It premiered at the 2017 Toronto Film Festival and was acquired by Netflix. His documentary Wig explores the New York City drag queen scene and the drag festival Wigstock. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on May 4, 2019, and premiered on June 18 on HBO.[12] His first narrative feature film Cypher starring Tierra Whack premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival where it won the award for best U.S Narrative Feature. Moukarbel produced the Jeremy O. Harris directed HBO film Slave Play. Not a Movie. A Play. through his company Permanent Wave Productions. [13]
Moukarbel made art videos and contemporary art while living in New York.[1] His best known video art project World Trade Center was made as part of his graduate school thesis at Yale School of Art. Moukarbel acquired a bootleg script for a then upcoming Oliver Stone film World Trade Center and he shot his own version using student actors. The short film was released freely on the internet as a way to pre-empt the Stone film and caused a highly publicized lawsuit by Paramount Pictures.[14]
In a New York Times article about the art project Moukarbel said in the interview "My film was offered free on the Internet… It cost $1,000 to produce. We're at a place now where technology allows the democratization of storytelling. Through their access and budget they're able to affect a lot of people's ideas about an event and also affect policy. I was deliberately using their script and pre-empting their release to make a statement about power."[15] After Paramount blocked the distribution of the video it continued to be shown at Witte de With Institute of Contemporary art who refused to comply with the court order.
His artwork has shown at Marianne Boesky Gallery,[16] Air de Paris, Witte de with[17] and Wallspace gallery among others.
Moukarbel co-directed the REM music video Everyday is Yours to Win,[18] The Drums, I Felt Stupid[19] and Joan as Police Woman's Start of my Heart.[20]
| Award | Year | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
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| 2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards[21] | 2018 | Best Music Documentary | Gaga: Five Foot Two | Won |
| 2015 News & Documentary Emmy Awards[22] | 2015 | Outstanding Arts and Cultural Programming | Banksy Does New York | Nominated |
| 2023 Tribeca Film Festival[23] | 2023 | Best U.S Narrative Feature | Cypher | Won |
Moukarbel was born in New Haven, Connecticut, to Lebanese parents and lives between Los Angeles and New York.[24] He attended Corcoran School of Art and Yale School of Art .[25] Chris Moukarbel was in a relationship with Jake Shears the frontman of the band Scissor Sisters from 2004-2015
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