Kristian R. Hill
Filmmaker, Director, and Editor in Los Angeles, California
Kristian R. Hill
Picture Editor, Director, and Producer
Kristian R. Hill is an award-winning documentary filmmaker with over 25 years of experience in film, television, and entertainment media. Born in Detroit, the city and its history define much of his work. Encouraged by his parents, Hill developed an early affinity for computers and a love of video editing, which became his entry into television. As an editor, he earned credits on Icons Among Us: Jazz in the Present Tense and projects for NFL Network, HBO, and Apple. Driven to tell authentic stories, he expanded into producing and directing.
In 2014, Hill received an NAACP Image Award nomination for Postcards: Mandela. That same year, his short film Electric Roots: The Detroit Sound Project was selected for the Court Métrage at the Cannes Short Film Corner, both projects he directed, shot, and edited.
Hill made his feature directorial debut in 2022 with God Said Give ’Em Drum Machines – The Story of Detroit Techno, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. The film’s success led to speaking engagements at DePaul University’s School of Cinematic Arts, MIT’s Documentary Lab, the British Film Institute, and the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum.
Now based in Los Angeles, Hill continues to work as an in-demand editor while expanding his role as a director and executive producer. Remaining closely connected to his hometown, he recently received the Detroit Diaspora Cultural Titan Award. His next project, The Big Score, follows Reggie Dokes, a Detroit-born DJ, producer, and pioneer of soulful electronic music, as he transitions into composing—exploring his evolution and the intersection of AI and electronic dance music.