Jose E. Cruz Jr.

Writer & Director Jose E. Cruz Jr. has built a strong following in the small filmmaking community in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Through his production company, Cruz Control Pictures, Jose has directed over twenty short films, several industrial videos and two feature length film, My Northside & Diamond Eyes. He also had an uncredited role in the 1999 Steve Buscemi film "Animal Factory". A one time drug dealer, Jose dropped out of school and was in and out of jail by the time he was sixteen years old. But it was his love of films where Jose began to escape the Mean Streets of Philly. Jose went on to receive his GED and enlisted in the Army. After his stint in the Army was up, he enrolled in The Community College of Philadelphia and afterward, into Temple University's Film School. With the support of his long time producing partners; his wife, Elizabeth Arbilon; and his close friends, Shaun Paul Costello, Katy O'Connor and Paul Burch, Jose continues to write, direct and edit his own personal projects and strives to make himself known outside of the Philadelphia area.