Alejandro Landes is a Colombian film director, writer, and producer from Bogotá. He is best known for his award-winning films, including Porfirio (2011), Cocalero (2007), and Monos (2019).
Landes studied economics at the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia, before eventually turning to filmmaking. He first began making short films in the late 1990s, while still a student, and won several awards for his work. In 2004, his first feature-length film Cocalero, a documentary about the rise of Evo Morales in Bolivia, was released. The film won awards at the San Sebastian and Tribeca Film Festivals.
In 2011, Landes released Porfirio, a drama about a paraplegic man in Colombia. The film won numerous awards, including Best Director at the Cartagena Film Festival. It was also nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the London Film Festival.
In 2016, Landes wrote and directed the horror-thriller film The Earliest Memory. The film tells the story of a young girl and her dysfunctional family in Colombia. The Earliest Memory was a critical success and won Best Film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
His latest film, Monos, was released in 2019. The film follows a group of teen guerrilla fighters living on a remote mountain in Colombia. Monos was critically acclaimed, and won awards at the Sundance and Berlin International Film Festivals. It was also nominated for Best Motion Picture at the 2020 Goya Awards and Best Foreign Language Film at the 2020 Golden Globes.
Landes’ films explore themes of identity, family dynamics, and the effects of violence in Latin America. He is currently in post-production for his next film, which is expected to be released later this year.
Alejandro Landes is a masterful director whose work continues to captivate audiences with its stories of struggle and resilience in Latin America. He is a celebrated filmmaker whose works have won numerous awards and have been nominated for many more.