Chad Freidrichs

Esteemed documentarian Chad Freidrichs debuted in 2003 with " Jandek on Corwood," a feature-length non-fiction film about Jandek, the enigmatic mystery man of the music industry. Featuring songs by the reclusive artist and interviews with his peers, the film won the Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the Raindance Film Festival. Three years later, Freidrichs directed "First Impersonator," a doc exploring the lives of two presidential impersonators: a George W. Bush lookalike during the contentious 2004 election year, and Vaughn Meader, renowned for his impersonation of President John F. Kennedy. In 2011, Freidrichs' "The Pruitt-Igoe Myth" premiered to critical acclaim. The film tracks the construction and subsequent destruction of the Pruitt-Igoe housing projects in St. Louis between the 1950s and mid '70s, and is a poignant testament to those who resided there. Freidrichs utilizes interviews and archival footage to paint a cautionary tale about one of the most damning failures in the history of federal housing development. "The Pruitt-Igoe Myth" won Best Documentary at the Kansas City Film Festival. 2011 was also the year Freidrichs completed his first narrative film: "Red Cloud," a short comedy set at a liberal arts college during the Cold War. Both "Red Cloud" and "The Pruitt-Igoe Myth" were co-written by Freidrichs and his wife, Jaime, who is also his regular producer.