About C.J.

C.J. tells fantastical stories with heightened flair to confront our darkest impulses - and laugh at them.

His films have screened at festivals including NewFest, Overlook Film Festival, and the Chicago International Film Festival. His unproduced feature, a queer supernatural thriller, was selected for Tribeca Film Festival’s development marketplace. C.J. won grand prizes in the Asian American International Film Festival Screenplay Competition and the Chicago International Film Festival’s Pitch at Industry Days.

C.J. Arellano blends horror with humor in one-of-a-kind ways, exploring how humans delude themselves and reckon with each other. He is fueled by hope, fun facts, spreadsheets, snarky idealism, ube ice cream, his trusty asthma inhaler, and posting stupid bullshit on Instagram stories.    

C.J. is based in NYC. Get in touch! cj@cjarellano.com