Chris Di Staulo

Christian Alexander Di Staulo (November 9, 1990 – October 16, 2025) was an Italian-Canadian filmmaker based in Toronto. His films include those with elements of dark comedy, magic realism, dreams and psychological drama. His works have been selected for the Cannes International Film Festival, Canada International Film Festival, Las Vegas Film Festival and National Screen Institute. Di Staulo's films have been acquired and broadcast globally by Amazon Prime Video and DirecTV; and on networks including CBC Television and ShortsTV.

Early life and education Di Staulo was born in Etobicoke, Ontario, on November 9, 1990. Di Staulo attended York University and received a Bachelor of Arts degree (Specialized Honours).

Di Staulo completed a Bachelor of Education at the University of Windsor.

He was posthumously awarded his Master of Fine Arts in Film and Media Arts by the University of Windsor in June 2026.

Career In 2013, Di Staulo directed the short psychological drama Somnolence; George Porter lives in a world where humans have evolved beyond sleep and as a result no longer dream, but he is somehow haunted by dreams of his sister. Di Staulo was one of only a few Canadians selected to showcase their work at the Cannes International Film Festival in 2014. CBC commented on how the Canadian representation at Cannes in 2014 was "an incredible vindication of our film culture." Somnolence won Best Cinematography and Best Special Effects in a Short Film at the Hollywood & Vine Film Festival in Los Angeles; Award of Excellence at the Best Shorts Competition in San Diego, Accolade Global Film Competition, and IndieFEST Film Awards; a Gold Award at the Aurora Awards; and a nomination for Best Original Score (scored by Nicolas Techer) at both the Hollywood Music in the Media Festival and the Utah Music Awards.

Di Staulo created a variety of short films, including his most popular short, Dirty Talk. The film stars Jeremy Ferdman and Katie Strain. On February 14, 2015, Dirty Talk aired on CBC to celebrate the success of Canadian filmmakers for the program Canadian Reflections on CBC Television. This film received an Award of Excellence from the Canadian Film Festival and was an Official Selection at the Las Vegas Film Festival in 2014.

Death Di Staulo died on October 16, 2025, at the age of 34.

Filmography

Film Director Producer Writer Notes Bold Accusations Television film Jules Television film Say Goodbye Television film Naughty Neighbours Television film O(A)R Television film Lovers to Strangers Television film Love for Hire Television film The Roots of Men Television film Dark Spaces Television film Etobicoke Stories Television film Somnolence Television film Eat, Prey, Love Television film Canadian Reflections Television film Dirty Talk Television film The Shadow in Red Television film

Selected music videos "Love You Right" - Walk off the Earth ft. Lukas Graham "A Few Good Stories" - Brett Kissel ft. Walk off the Earth "LIKE2LIKE" - Gabriela Bee of The Bee Family "Words" - Brianna Corona