Carmen Emmi is an award-winning filmmaker with roots in Syracuse, New York, where he grew up in a family of farmers. After graduating from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, he began his career as an independent Director of Photography, contributing to a range of projects, including short films, commercials, and feature-length productions.

His first screenplay, Plainclothes, was recognized in several screenwriting competitions, including placing in the top 50 of the AMPAS Academy Nicholl Fellowship. Set in 1997, the film centers on a young undercover officer assigned to entrap gay men in public spaces – and what happens when he falls for a target.

Plainclothes premiered in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival, where it received the Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast. It was acquired by Magnolia Pictures for a theaterical release. The film stars Tom Blyth (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Billy the Kid), Russell Tovey (Feud, American Horror Story: NYC), Maria Dizzia (My Old Ass, Orange Is the New Black), and Amy Forsyth (Coda, The Gilded Age), and marks Emmi’s directorial debut.