Director
Charles T. Kanganis
68 years · 24 films
Charles Kanganis is an American filmmaker, screenwriter, and Program Director at LA Film School. After laying an academic foundation with speech and theater degrees from Iona University and the University of Akron, he earned a Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting from California State University, Northridge. Kanganis launched his professional directing career at the independent action studio PM Entertainment, making his feature debut writing and directing the thriller Deadly Breed (1989). He quickly became a staple for the studio, helming the action features A Time to Die (1991) and Intent to Kill (1992). His time with PM culminated with No Escape No Return (1993), a production that gained lasting notoriety when Kanganis personally shot a real gun on the movie set. This reputation for intense action caught the attention of major Hollywood studios, leading him to direct mainstream, higher-rated commercial features like the theatrical comedy Race the Sun (1996) starring Halle Berry and the buddy-cop sequel K-911 (1999) starring James Belushi. He later wrote and directed the contemporary film Rome & Jewel (2008), an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet where crew recall his intense, hands-on style, notably when he physically hoisted a massive 78-pound 35mm camera onto his own shoulder to demonstrate a shot. Today, he channels this intensity by mentoring the next generation of cinematic storytellers at the Los Angeles Film School.
Best known for
Filmography 24
Impulse
2008 · Director, Writer
Back By Midnight
2005 · Gate Guard
K-911
2000 · Director
Dennis the Menace Strikes Again!
1998 · Director
On Howdy Amazon Channel
Race the Sun
1996 · Director
On fuboTV
3 Ninjas Kick Back
1994 · Director
On Netflix
No Escape, No Return
1993 · Director, Writer
On Plex
Ring of Fire II: Blood and Steel
1993 · D.J.
On Plex
Bikini Summer II
1992 · Screenplay
On Plex
Intent to Kill
1992 · Roberto, Director
On Plex
A Time to Die
1991 · Director, Writer
On Plex
Blood Money
1991 · John
On Plex
Night of the Wilding
1990 · Martin, Writer
On Plex
Chance
1990 · Alvin, Director
On Plex
Emperor of the Bronx
1990 · George
On Troma NOW
Contra Conspiracy
1990 · Writer
On Tubi TV
Sinners
1990 · Writer, Director
On Plex
American Born
1990 · Louie
On Plex
L.A. Vice
1989 · Screenplay
On Plex
Deadly Breed
1989 · Director, Writer
On Hoopla
Shotgun
1989 · Police Photographer
On Plex
Midnight Warrior
1989 · Writer
On Fawesome
L.A. Heat
1989 · Writer
On Fawesome
Hollow Gate
1988 · Prince
On Philo