| Occupation: | Filmmaker |
| Alma Mater: | Brigham Young University |
| Years Active: | 1973–present |
Thomas C. Christensen (born 1953) is an American cinematographer, film director, and writer best known for his work on films related to the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), including , Gordon B. Hinckley: A Giant Among Men, 17 Miracles, and Ephraim's Rescue. He has made films about the Martin and Willie handcart companies who traversed the plains toward the Salt Lake Valley in late 1856. Christensen is also a member of the American Society of Cinematographers.
Christensen grew up in Layton, Utah, with nine siblings. He served as a missionary for the LDS Church in Ohio and West Virginia from 1972 to 1974. He studied filmmaking at Brigham Young University (BYU) and the University of Utah (U of U).[1]
Christensen married his wife, Katy, in 1980. They have two children, Tanner and Tess, both of whom have worked with Christensen on his films. His cousin Ron Tanner has also collaborated with Christensen on his films.
While attending BYU and the U of U, Christensen worked as a part-time cameraman for KSL-TV in Utah for five years. He declined offers to go full-time because he did not want to pursue a career in news. After leaving KSL-TV, Christensen began freelance filmmaking. He credits fellow filmmaker Kieth Merrill as his mentor, with Merrill's children cast in Christensen's The Mouth of Babes.
Films by Christensen have received recognition in several film festivals. His A Pioneer Miracle (also titled In the Arms of Angels) received the Grand Remi Award at the Houston International Film Festival in 2004.[2] Seasons of the Heart, for which he was both director and cinematographer, received multiple awards in film festivals.[3] Christensen has made several films about Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement (Mormonism).[4] Among these are and , both made in cooperation with Gary Cook.[5] Other Latter-day Saint-themed films include the biography of LDS Church president Gordon B. Hinckley, made following Hinckley's death in 2008. Christensen wrote, directed, and produced Only A Stonecutter, the story of John R. Moyle, father of James H. Moyle. Christensen has also been the cinematographer for a large number of films. These include Rigoletto, The Testaments of One Fold and One Shepherd, Forever Strong, and .[6] [7] Having collaborated over the years, T. C. Christensen has been described as the "mentor" of Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre director Jared Hess.
On such films as the first Work and the Glory, Christensen's cinematography was considered by some to be by far the best part of the film. Christensen has also made several IMAX films including Texas: The Big Picture and Ozarks: Legacy and Legend.[8] In the summer of 2011, 17 Miracles was released across the country. The film depicts the Martin and Willie handcart companies as they traveled across the plains to the Salt Lake Valley in 1856.[9] In 2013, Christensen's film Ephraim's Rescue about the life of Ephraim Hanks, a notable rescuer of the Martin Handcart Company, was released to good user reviews, and specifically the addressed events of Hanks bringing the first food supplies to the company, who were snow-bound and starving on the Mormon Trail.[10] [11] In 2015, Christensen wrote and directed The Cokeville Miracle which tells the story of the school bombing in Cokeville, Wyoming, in 1986.[12] [13] In 2016, Christensen began working on Love, Kennedy. It is based on the true story of Ogden, Utah, teenager Kennedy Hansen's battle with Juvenile Batten Disease. The film was released in June 2017.[14] [15]
Christensen is a member of the American Society of Cinematographers.[16]
All credits come from Internet Movie Database (IMDb).[17]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Wheels of Fire | Cinematographer & Editor | Documentary | |
| 1978 | The Bridge | Cinematographer | Short - As Thomas R. Christensen | |
| 1979 | Kenny Rogers and the American Cowboy | Cinematographer | TV movie | |
| 1982 | The Ghost of the Great Salt Lake | Director | ||
| 1987 | The Touch of the Master's Hand | Director | Short - as Tom Christensen | |
| 1988 | On Our Own | Cinematographer & Actor | TV movie | |
| 1990 | Quest for a Go-Getter | Director of photography | Video Short | |
| 1991 | Dream Machine | Cinematographer | ||
| 1991 | In Your Wildest Dreams | Cinematographer | ||
| 1992 | The ButterCream Gang | Cinematographer | Video | |
| 1992 | Split Infinity | Cinematographer | ||
| 1992 | On the Way Home | Cinematographer | Video short | |
| 1993 | Rigoletto | Cinematographer | Video | |
| 1993 | Seasons of the Heart | Cinematographer | ||
| 1995 | Fedora | Cinematographer | Short | |
| 1995 | Reach for the Stars | Director of photography | ||
| 1995 | The Dark Knight | Cinematographer | Short | |
| 1995 | Ozarks: Legacy & Legend | Cinematographer | ||
| 1995 | San Francisco: The Movie | Cinematography | Short | |
| 1995 | Valencia, Spain | Cinematographer | ||
| 1996 | Treasure Chest | Cinematographer | Short | |
| 1996 | Turning Point | Cinematographer | Video short | |
| 1996 | Last Resort | Cinematographer | ||
| 1996 | Clubhouse Detectives | Cinematographer | ||
| 1997 | Witness | Cinematographer | Short | |
| 1997 | Trail of Hope: The Story of the Mormon Trail | Cinematographer | TV movie documentary | |
| 1997 | The King's Falcon | Cinematographer | Short | |
| 1998 | No More Baths | Cinematographer | ||
| 1998 | Follow Your Heart | Cinematographer | Short | |
| 1998 | Angels in the Attic | Director of photography | ||
| 1999 | Olympic Glory | Cinematographer | Documentary short | |
| 1999 | A Kid Called Danger | Cinematographer | ||
| 1999 | American Prophet: The Story of Joseph Smith | Cinematographer | Documentary | |
| 1999 | Christmas Mission | Cinematographer | Video short | |
| 2000 | Navigate your Destiny | Cinematographer | Short | |
| 2000 | The Testaments: Of One Fold and One Shepherd | Cinematographer | ||
| 2000 | Baby Bedlam | Director of photography | ||
| 2000 | Message in a Cell Phone | Cinematographer | ||
| 2001 | Walls | Cinematographer | Short | |
| 2001 | Bug Off! | Cinematographer & Writer | ||
| 2001 | The Penny Promise | Cinematographer & Writer | ||
| 2001 | Horse Crazy | Cinematographer | ||
| 2002 | Journey to Harmony | Director of photography | Short | |
| 2002 | Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West | Cinematographer | Short | |
| 2003 | A Pioneer Miracle | Cinematographer & Writer | Video short - Alternative title: In the Arms of Angels[18] | |
| 2003 | Texas: The Big Picture | Cinematographer | Documentary short | |
| 2004 | The Work and the Glory | Director of photography | ||
| 2005 | Down and Derby | Cinematographer | ||
| 2005 | A Warm Heart | Director of photography | Short | |
| 2005 | Praise to the Man | Cinematographer & Writer & Director | Video | |
| 2005 | Cinematographer & Director | |||
| 2006 | Roving Mars | Cinematographer | Documentary short | |
| 2006 | Outlaw Trail: The Treasure of Butch Cassidy | Director of photography | As TC Christensen | |
| 2006 | Rainbows of Paradise: The Pageant of the Long Canoes | Director | Documentary short | |
| 2007 | Take the Lead | Cinematographer | Video short | |
| 2007 | Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure | Director of photography | Documentary short | |
| 2007 | The Legacy of Aotearoa: Land of the Long, White Cloud | Cinematographer & Director | Video documentary short - as TC Christensen | |
| 2008 | Cinematographer & Co-director | |||
| 2008 | Forever Strong | Cinematographer | ||
| 2008 | Gordon B. Hinckley: A Giant Among Men | Cinematographer & Writer & Director | Video | |
| 2008 | Only a Stonecutter | Cinematographer & Writer & Director | Video short | |
| 2009 | The Jerk Theory | Cinematographer | ||
| 2009 | Treasure in Heaven: The John Tanner Story | Cinematographer & Director | Video short | |
| 2010 | The Killers: Boots | Director | Video Short | |
| 2010 | That Promised Day: The Coming Forth of the LDS Scripture | Director of photography | Video | |
| 2011 | 17 Miracles | Cinematographer & Writer & Director | ||
| 2012 | Everything's Fine | Cinematographer | Short | |
| 2012 | 12 Dogs of Christmas: Great Puppy Rescue | Cinematographer | ||
| 2012 | Gathering of Friends | Cinematographer | ||
| 2013 | Ephraim's Rescue | Cinematographer & Writer & Director | ||
| 2014 | Scriptures Legacy | Cinematographer | TV Short | |
| 2015 | The Cokeville Miracle | Cinematographer & Writer & Director | ||
| 2017 | Love, Kennedy | Cinematographer & Writer & Director | ||
| 2017 | The Stray | Cinematographer | ||
| 2019 | The Other Side of Heaven 2: Fire of Faith | Cinematographer | Filming | |
| 2019 | The Fighting Preacher | Cinematographer & Writer & Director | Finalist for the 2019 narrative-feature-film AML Award[19] | |
| 2024 | Escape from Germany | Cinematographer & Writer & Director | ||
| 2025 | Standout: The Ben Kjar Story | Cinematographer | Documentary |