A well-curate selection of the most talented and stunning filmmakers of Latin America, the more acclaimed and awarded ones. The list follows an alphabetical order and includes the most awarded directors of the last decade:
2
Since September 2007, João Dornelas and Pedro Pereira joined their complementary experiences to form 2. João started working at the age of 18 as an editor. At 22, as director, he had an award-winning documentary and short film at “Festival do Rio” and “MIS de São Paulo”, in addition to other festivals in Brazil. In 2004, he co-directed (with Caíto Ortiz) the feature film "The day Brazil was here", about the "Game of Peace" between the Brazilian Football Team and the Haitian Team. The film was shown on a commercial cinema circuit and was later sold to HBO Latin America. The professional started directing advertising in 2005. Before becoming commercial director, Pedro Pereira spent ten years at McCann Erickson as a copywriter. In 2014 they started their own production company along executive producer Marcelo Altschuler and Vellas. They have worked for major brands, such as Volkswagen, Skol, Leica and Vivo, some of which are awarded nationally and internationally.
Dono Esperto | AMAZON
PRODUCTION Director: 2 / Production company: Saigon | AGENCY: Almap BBDO | CLIENT: Amazon
MICHELLE CASSIS
Michelle Cassis is a film director from Chile that graduate from the New York Film Academy in New York. She has worked for brands such as Pepsi, Kibon, Santander, Belcorp, Unilever UK and Cornetto UK, winning at the Cannes Lions on 2016 for Cornetto's Commitment Rings ad. The campaign was also awarded at El Ojo de Iberoamérica 2016 (Argentina) and at the El Sol Festival (Spain). Her fashion film Queens of Flesh & Blood was awarded at the Buenos Aires International Fashion Film Festival 2017 and was also officially selected in fashion film festivals around the globe. Michelle’s first short film, written and directed by her, Astro Son, was in the official selection of several festivals around the world, including the TIFF Toronto International Film Festival KIDS, SANFIC10, SoHo Short Film Festival, NYC Indie Film Festival, among others. Her most recent work The Hidden Flag, where 6 activist snuck the rainbow pride flag using only their soccer jerseys at the 2018 world cup in Russia. With over a dozen awards including 2 Grand Prix and the award for Best Latin Idea for the World, the spot became the most awarded campaign at the recent El Ojo de Iberoamérica advertising festival and Michelle took over the 2nd place in the festival’s ranking for best director.
Sabor Intenso | PEPSI X LESLIE SHAW
PRODUCTION Director: Michelle Cassis / Production company: Canica Films | AGENCY: Youpanqui BBDO - Peru | CLIENT: PepsiCo Peru
DOUGLAS BERNARDT
Douglas Bernardt is a passionate filmmaker working from a very young age both as director and cinematographer. He creates unique and beautiful imagery around heartfelt topics. His body of work spans across music videos, commercials and branded content. In 2019, his short film for "Bluesman" album by rapper Baco Exu do Blues, was awarded the Cannes Lions Grand Prix for Entertainment for Music. His films were also awarded and accolade in festivals such as D&AD, Clio Music, Young Director Award, Kinsale Sharks, Camerimage and Ciclope Latino.
Bluesman | Baco Exu do Blues
PRODUCTION Director: Douglas Bernardt / Production company: Stink Films | AGENCY: AKQA | CLIENT: Baco Exu do Blues
ARMANDO BÓ JR.
Armando Bó Jr. is an Argentinean screenwriter and film director. He won the Oscar for best original screenplay and the Golden Globe for the same category in 2014 for Birdman. He directed the film The Last Elvis that won the Silver Condor for best original screenplay 2013. He was named in homage to his grandfather the famous filmmaker Armando Bó. He studied film at the New York Film Academy in New York, United States. He began working as a publicist, doing more than 120 commercials and receiving more than 50 awards, while his production company Rebolucion quickly became an international creative force, becoming one of the top ten production houses in the world. With branches in Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Mexico, USA and Europe, Rebolucion produced more than 700 spots and earned more than 25 Cannes Lions among other awards.
Detrás de | MERCADO LIBRE
PRODUCTION Director: Armando Bó Jr. / Production company: Rebolución | AGENCY: GUT | CLIENT: Mercado Libre
RODRIGO GARCÍA SAIZ
García Saiz is a Mexican filmmaker that studied film at the National Autonomous University of Mexico and then later at the New York University (NYU) and in San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba. He began his career working in feature films and as an assistant director. Later, in 2002, he founded Central films, with whom he has won numerous awards in advertising: the Ojo de Iberoamerica Fiap, D & D, the London International Awards, the New York Festival or the Ojo de Latinoamerica; and in 2013, for the fifth consecutive year, he was the a recipient of a Lion at the Cannes Lions Festival. He has become one of the world’s leading Spanish language commercial directors and working on award-winning campaigns for such brands as Sprite, Toyota, Skittles, Burger King, as well as, Coca-Cola, Nike, Budweiser, AT&T, Powerade, Kraft, Mercedes Benz and P&G. He has an undeniable talent for storytelling and continues to transcend cultural barriers through his work.
Cranky | SKITTLES
PRODUCTION Director: Rodrigo García Saiz / Production company: Central Films | AGENCY: DDB New York | CLIENT: Mars
AUGUSTO GIMENEZ ZAPIOLA
Augusto Gimenez Zapiola graduated from the Argentinean Institute of Cinematographic Arts, and he is currently one of the most awarded advertising directors in the world. With a career of almost thirty years, he has acted, directed and produced; he is also the founder and owner of Argentina Cine, one of the top production companies in Argentina. He has obtained awards in national and international festivals such as, the Clio, FIAP, El Sol (San Sebastian Advertising Festival), Lápiz de Oro (The Argentine Creative Circle) and Cannes Golden Lions.
Actors | Paramount Channel
PRODUCTION Director: Augusto Gimenez Zapiola / Production company: Argentina Cine | AGENCY: Grey Argentina | CLIENT: Viacom
JONES+TINO
Jones+Tino began working together in 2004 as a creative team at Saatchi & Saatchi/Brazil and in 2011, began directing films together. Their strong narrative and intricately styled films have earned them widespread recognition on the global stage. They have directed critically acclaimed commercials such as “Before and After” for Nike, starring Brazilian football star Ronaldo, “Everything for Football” for Coca Cola and Grand Prix winning “100” for Leica. In 2016, the commercial Blood for Bodyform made the news for breaking the period commercial clichés and approaching menstruation from a whole new perspective. Other recent work includes films for Ikea, Facebook and Ancestry.
"100" via La Vida Leica | Leica
PRODUCTION Director: Jones+Tino / Production company: Stink Films | AGENCY: Saatchi & Saatchi | CLIENT: Leica
ALINE LATA
Lata started as a photographer and then became a versatile director, directing fashion films and working for brands such as Schutz, Melissa, Yogini, Luisa Farani, Lilly Sarti, Lez a lLez and collaborated with L’Officiel, Harper’s bazaar and Marie Claire magazines. “Anthropocene” for Luisa Farani and “Black Mamba” for L’Officiel were selected for the Milano Fashion Film Festival and Mercedes Benz Bokeh Fashion Film Festival in South Africa. Her independent short film "Obsession" was a highlight on the line up of FIFH Cannes and selected for the São Paulo International Short Film Festival. Her first documentary feature film “The safest place in the world” which portraits the tragedy on Mariana through a young boy point of view, was selected for a laboratory in Brazil, Chile and Portugal, where she won the higher award on post-production, during the prestige DocLisboa 2019. Now in advertising, she flirt with the pop universe, cinema and video art. in 2018 she won 9 lions at the Cannes Lions advertising festival with two case films for Budweiser and Kit-Kat. Her last authorial project, a videoclip for the Brazilian singer Céu, shoot in 2019, earned her the nomination for best female director on the Woman Music Event, and best video clip on the Music Video Festival on that same year.
Aeroporto | KITKAT
PRODUCTION Director: Aline Lata / Production company: Landia SP | AGENCY: J.Walter Thompson Brasil | CLIENT: Nestlé - KitKat
FRANCISCO PAPARELLA
Paparella was born in Buenos Aires in 1984 and grew up in the Patagonia before moving to Mexico. He has a powerful cinematographic style, highly aesthetically, focused on the narratives and direction of actors. He has worked with brands such as Coca-Cola, Nike, McDonalds, Samsung and VW, among others. His “Survivors” piece for Save The Children won two Bronzes at Cannes Lions, the first in that category in the history of Mexico. Paparella is developing his second feature film “Three Brothers”, which was selected at “Les Cinémas du Monde” of the French Institute in Cannes 2019 and at the Berlinale Talent Projects 2019.
Generaciones | PEPSI
PRODUCTION Director: Fran Paparella / Production company: Oriental Films / Landia Content | CLIENT: Pepsi
NICO PEREZ VEIGA
Nico Perez Veiga is a sought-after director, awarded all around the world. He has worked for the some of the most prestigious advertising agencies and production companies, and directed campaigns for international brands including: Nike, Audi, Google, Johnnie Walker, Powerade, Cadbury, T-Mobile, Sony, Vodafone, Guinness, Axe, Toyota, Ford, Honda, Ikea, Volkswagen, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, and Unilever, among others. Nico has won numerous awards at the most prestigious advertising festivals in the world, including seven Cannes Lions – with two Golds for Film, five Clios, two LIAs, two D&AD pencils for Best Direction, and an International Emmy Awards Nomination for Best Short Form Series for his series “Out There,” which he created, wrote and produced. He was voted Best Iberoamerican Director four times: in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2017. In 2013, the Gunn Report named him the third Most Awarded Director in the World. He is also the founder of production company PRIMO that was named by the Gunn Report the 4th Most Awarded Production Company in the World, and in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2018, Primo was named Best Production Company of the Year by the Argentinean Creatives’ Circle. Nico Perez-Veiga deftly combines cinematic live action with post effects to create unique and powerful commercial stories.
Pioneers | NIVEA
PRODUCTION Director: Nico Perez Veiga / Production company: Primo | AGENCY: FCB Mexico | CLIENT: Nivea
https://www.right.video/videos/nivea-nivea-pioneers-directed
FERNANDO NOGARI
Fernando Nogari is a Brazilian photographer and film director born in 1986. Working with design, film, photography and video installations since 2006, he recently started to collaborate with stage productions and museum exhibitions. His videos have been screened and awarded in festivals worldwide. Nogari's works bridges the gap between strong visuals and alternative modes of storytelling. Fernando just graduated as an MFA at Film Factory under the mentorship of Béla Tarr. He is one of the founders of Banzai Studio and is currently represented by ParanoidBr for commercial, music-videos and branded content.
Rollergirls | Apple iPhone XR + Vivo
PRODUCTION Director: Nogari / Production company: Iconoclast | AGENCY: DPZ&T | CLIENT: Apple
RODRIGO SAAVEDRA
Saavedra is a director of commercials, content and interactive films graduated from St Martin's College of Art and Design in London. He started his carrier as an art director and copywriter for agencies such as Mother London, WCRS London, Wieden & Kennedy Amsterdam and as creative director at Santo Buenos Aires. He won a bunch of awards from D&AD, the One Show and Cannes Lions, just to name a few. In 2013 he naturally became a director working for Budweiser, Chivas, VW, Havaianas and Corona. His work for Scrabble was a viral hit (called by Time magazine "the perfect love story for word nerds") and won him his first Cannes Lion as a director. In early 2018, his short film for the Francis Ford Coppola winery was selected at Sundance and was subsequently admitted into the Directors Guild of America.
Everything Special | MODELO
PRODUCTION Director: Rodrigo Saavedra / Production company: Landia Content | AGENCY: Leo Burnett México | CLIENT: Modelo
https://www.right.video/videos/modelo-modelo-especial-everything
SEBA SCHOR
Sebastian Schor simply "Schor" for everybody is an Argentinean filmmaker, widely recognized by his sense of humor and perfect timing for funny and awkward situations. A director that knows how to make his actors shine with hilarious performances. In the last 20 years, he worked in Radio, Film and Television as an Actor, Announcer, Producer, Editor, Screenwriter and of course Director. As a director, he made more than 50 campaigns for brands such as Coca Cola, Ford, Bimbo, MasterCard, Telefónica, Bud Light, Chrysler, as well as documentary and fiction projects. His spots for Fabogesic "Moving" and "Break-up" have been Cannes and Clios winners.
Break-up | Fabogesic
PRODUCTION Director: Seba Schor / Production company: Nunchaku | AGENCY: JWT Argentina | CLIENT: Fabogesic / Savant
SQUAREHEAD
Marcio Leitão a.k.a Squarehead is a Brazilian multiplatform visual artist, whose style combines live action, design and motion graphics to create dynamic and energetic pieces, all of them beautifully crafted. Among his most recent work there are films for Visa, Ford, Miami Ad School, Coca-Cola, Electrolux, Brahma, Samsung, Skolbeats, Honda, Bradesco, Netflix and Getty Images. Gabriel’s project for Bradesco featuring Gabriel Neris is a 16 years old para-athlete who's not afraid of pursuing his dreams. It is the Brazilian commercial most viewed on Youtube had more than 36 millions views. Squarehead was one of the most awarded Latin America director in Cannes 2018. His film for Getty Images, Endless Stories, had won 5 Lions, including Film and Film Craft, took the International Excellence category at AICP, the Grand Prix at Wave Festival and top awards in many other international festivals such as Ciclope, Clio, Shots, LIA, El Ojo, and FIAP.
Endless Stories | Getty Images
PRODUCTION Director: Squarehead / Production company: Stink | AGENCY: BBDO| CLIENT: Getty Images
MIGUEL USANDIVARAS
Usandivaras began his career as an advertising creative in Buenos Aires, Milan and Madrid working in agencies such as Del Campo, Saatchi, JWT, Ogilvy, BBDO, Leo Burnett Milan, Mccann Milan, Saatchi madrid. He has won awards at festivals such as Cannes, Clio, Director of New York Festival, Eurobest, Fiap, Sol and Tooth. In 2014 he started as director where he worked for large clients such as Samsung, Axe, grupo Modelo, Aquarius, Eolan, Galeries Lafayette, Branca, IKEA, Dulux, etc. He is a passionate filmmaker with an extremely sensorial approach to the craft that loves to transform ideas into feelings and sensations.
Shoethrower | LAFAYETTE
PRODUCTION Director: Miguel Usandivaras / Production company: Filmmaster | AGENCY: Wednesday | CLIENT: Lafayette
VELLAS
Vellas is a film director and amateur photographer from Brazil, also the co-founder and partner at Saigon. He has directed projects for brands including Ubisoft, Fiat and Ford. His work is characterized by its visual scale, strong narratives and subtle performances. He began his career as an art director at some of the top creative agencies and then he worked in motion graphics, developing a keen eye for visual effects and the post-production process, before becoming a film director. One of his most acclaimed works include 2013 Alma (aka Soul), a B&W first-person POV film for the release of the Leica M-Monochrome. The spot won 17 awards, including five at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. That same year, Vellas was selected to be featured in Saatchi & Saatchi’s prestigious New Directors’ Showcase.
Keep on being yourself | RENAULT
PRODUCTION Director: Vellas / Production company: Frenzy Paris | AGENCY: We Are Social | CLIENT: Renault
https://www.right.video/videos/renault-keep-on-being
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