Personal details
- Professions: Director, Writer, Producer
Christian’s journey into the world of filmmaking didn’t exactly follow a textbook path. Sparked by Robert Rodriguez’s “Rebel without a Crew” back at SDSU, he basically just dove in, taught himself the ropes, and cranked out his first feature in 2006. Didn’t have a fancy budget or studio backing—just pure indie hustle. That film dropped on VOD and DVD, and suddenly, Christian wasn’t just some dude with a camera; he started carving out his own lane in the indie action scene. He kept grinding, making a string of low-budget action flicks until “Vigilante Diaries” hit SD Comic Con, which honestly, is a pretty wild place to premiere. HBO picked it up—their first sub-million dollar action acquisition in over ten years. Not bad for a self-taught filmmaker. Then he put out “PayDirt” with Luke Goss and Val Kilmer, and, not skipping a beat, shot two more movies right in the middle of the pandemic. “Take Back” starred Mickey Rourke and Michael Jai White, while “Every Last One of Them” boasted Richard Dreyfuss, Taryn Manning, and Jake Weber. He wasn’t slowing down. Christian teamed up again with Dreyfuss for “Abandonment” in 2021, and then lined up back-to-back action releases for 2022: “Section 8” (think Dolph Lundgren, Mickey Rourke, Dermot Mulroney, Ryan Kwanton) and “Lights Out” (Frank Grillo, Mekhi Pfiefer, Scott Adkins, Jamie King). As the head of Seskri Film Inc., he’s all about crafting mainstream stories, but he’s also pushing for more Latin-X representation across genres. Guy’s got drive, that’s for sure.
Athena Sesma’s dad, huh? Oh, that guy’s a whole story on his own. The dude’s reputation kind of precedes him—he’s basically the backbone in Athena’s life, but don’t expect some cookie-cutter parent figure. He’s got this mix of old-school stubbornness and a soft spot that sneaks up on you. There’s a sense he’s been through some rough stuff, like he’s always carrying old battles in his eyes. You can tell he wants the best for Athena, but man, he’s not great at saying it out loud. Actions over words, every time. He’s probably the sort who’ll fix your car at 2am but never mention your birthday. People in town seem to know him, respect him, maybe even fear him a little—hard to say which. Bottom line? He’s complicated, and his past with Athena shapes a lot of what goes down, even when neither of them admits it.
Konidela Ram Charan