Chad Hartigan was born in Nicosia, Cyprus and attended the North Carolina School of the Arts, School of Filmmaking. His first feature as writer/director, LUKE AND BRIE ARE ON A FIRST DATE premiered at the Hamptons International Film Festival in 2008 and was remade for Latin American audiences in 2013 as LUNA EN LEO. His second feature, THIS IS MARTIN BONNER, premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival where it won the Audience Award for Best of NEXT and went on to also win the John Cassavetes Award at the 2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards. His third feature, MORRIS FROM AMERICA, premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival where it won two jury prizes and was later named one of the top 10 Independent Films of the year by the National Board of Review. His fourth feature, LITTLE FISH, was initially delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and ultimately released in February 2021 to critical acclaim.