Chris Kalis is an award-winning filmmaker, musician, and designer from Chicago. He co-founded the internationally recognized creative studio Plural Design, LLC, in 2008 and the Chicago-based electronic music group Chandeliers in 2005. Chandeliers recordings and live performances have received praise internationally from The Wire, Pitchfork, NPR, The Quietus, Chicago Reader, and the Chicago Tribune. In addition to Chandeliers, Chris has performed and recorded with the Chicago-based groups Drasii, Icy Demons, Songs for Gods, Michael Columbia, and Bronze. He is also a resident DJ and curator at the monthly SENDERS parties that he has hosted with Mike Broers since 2021.
His visual artwork has been exhibited at the Hyde Park Art Center, Co-Prosperity, Public Works Gallery, Chicago Cultural Center, and the Chicago Design Archive. In 2017, he collaborated with Nolan J. Downs as co-director and producer on the animated music video "Snake Bomb", which premiered at the Ann Arbor Film Festival. The following year, he collaborated with Downs again to create sound design for the animated short "Deducked", which screened at the Pictoplasma Conference and Festival in Berlin after earning a coveted Vimeo Staff Pick.
He combined his passion for electronic music, design, and filmmaking while working as a field producer and graphic designer on the award-winning feature-length documentary "God Said Give 'Em Drum Machines", directed by Kristian R. Hill, about the history of Detroit Techno music. The film premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival.
Chris directed, produced, co-wrote, and held many other creative roles on the animated short "Illuminatus!", which premiered at FilmQuest in 2024. Based upon on the cult classic novels of the same name, it was made in collaboration with animation students and faculty at DePaul University in Chicago. The film has screened at over 23 festivals worldwide including the Sydney Underground Film Festival, Humboldt International Film Festival, and Midwest WeirdFest, and has won various awards including the Silver Category Award for Best Sci-Fi Animation at the Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation, and Technology (PFCAT).
Research Area
Post Production, Cinema Production, Computer Graphics
Specific Research Area
Film Production, Motion Graphics, Title Design, Sound Design, Electronic Music Production
Professional Associations
ASCAP