Full Name Vikaas Angra Occupation Filmmaker | Name Erik Angra Role Cinematographer | |
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Born 1986 (age 28–29) Lawrence Massachusetts Movies Two Who Dared: The Sharps' War People also search for Artemis Joukowsky, Matthew Justus, Steven Wechsler, Michael Julian Berz | ||
Erik Angra (Born March 21, 1986) is an American documentarian, director, cinematographer & editor. Angra is the director of a biographical documentary on celebrity & former wrestler Chyna, who died of a drug overdose during production.
Career
Angra began his career documenting hardcore punk musicians from Boston on national tours during the early 2000s. The footage he released in 2006 featured rare performances from some of the final shows at the hardcore and punk club CBGB's in New York.
His work on the feature-length documentary, The Minister's War, won a special jury prize at the Amsterdam Film Festival in 2012.
In 2014, Angra's film Cowboys and Engines won an award for Best Cinematography at The Boston 48 Hour Film Project.
Angra was director of a cult, experimental series from 2011 to 2014. Quiet Desperation explored the struggling arts scene in Boston through the eyes of local, alternative comedian Rob Potylo. It was scheduled to be broadcast on CBS on Sunday afternoons for a six-episode season in spring 2014, but CBS allegedly breached the agreement and refused to view the pilot that had been made for them, despite thousands of dollars being spent by the filmmakers. In April 2014, Potylo and Angra sued CBS for “breach of contract, breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and unfair and deceptive acts and practices.” The case was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
He began editing "Defying the Nazis" when he was 24 years old. Angra stressed this experience solidified his skills as a documentary filmmaker: "Working with Ken was earning a Ph.D. in documentary filmmaking"
In June 2015, Angra launched a kickstarter fund for his second documentary The Reconstruction of Chyna The film was expected to chronical the rise, fall and comeback of famed wrestler and Playboy model Chyna. Filming took place throughout the United States in 2015 and early 2016. During production Chyna died of a drug overdose in April 2016. After her death was announced, Angra tweeted that the documentary about Chyna would still be made, with a likely release date in fall 2017. According to Angra, Chyna was deep in prescription drugs and emotional turmoil before her death. Talking about his final interview with Chyna, he revealed: "She was really upset, wasn't in a good place emotionally and wanted to talk, so I went over there and we filmed."