Bio
Emilio Santoyo (Mexico, 1990) is an artist, filmmaker and researcher. His work investigates themes such as the representation of love and violence, questioning and expanding the possibilities of fiction in cinema through multi-disciplinary methods of production.
He directed the short films “The perfect absent” (2020) and “Ghost letter for a lost love” (2026) , a well as the fictional feature-length films “Ana’s desire” (2020), “Silver heart” (co-direction, 2023) and “This savage beast” (in postproduction). He founded Anomia (anomie), a Mexican film production company and platform for innovative Latin American arthouse cinema, where he collaborates with a a group of artists. In 2025, he co-founded the collective Electric Shadows in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
He currently edits his new feature film, “Vera, Vera, Vera (or the behaviour of broken hearts)” and shoots the expanded cinema project “Love potions" with the support of the AFK (Amsterdams fonds voor de kunst) and the AMARTE Funds (Netherlands).
As part of his academic activities, Emilio created and directed the first year of the Cinematography Specialization Postgraduate Program in CENTRO de Diseño, Cine y Televisión (Mexico).
Emilio is a Berlinale Talents alumnus and holds a BA in film direction from Centro de Diseño, Cine y Television (Mexico), as well as a MA in Artistic Research “in and through Cinema” from the Nederlandse Filmacademie (Netherlands). In 2026, he was admitted to the PhD in the Arts program at Mozarteum University Salzburg (Austria), where he will continue his research on New Melodrama and expanded cinematic practices.
EDUCATION
2026-Present PhD in the Arts – Mozarteum University Salzburg (Austria)
2025-2026 BAL (Baltic Analogue Lab) Film School (Latvia)
2022-2024 Master – Artistic Research in and through cinema – Netherlands Film Academy (The Netherlands)
2010-2014 Bachelor's Degree (Honours) in Film – CENTRO de Diseño, Cine y Televisión (Mexico)
FILMOGRAPHY
2026 Vera, Vera, Vera (Or the behaviour of broken hearts) (in post-production) – 80 min
2026 This savage beast (in post-production) – 95 min
2026 Ghost letter for a lost love – 28 min
2023 Silver heart (Collective work) – 87 min
2020Ana's desire – 79 min
2020The absent perfect – 13 min
AWARDS AND HONOURS
2024 Winner of the AFK financial support (stipendium), Netherlands for Love Potions
2024 Winner of AMARTE Development fund, Netherlands for Love Potions
2022 Winner of the scholarship "Support for Professionals of Culture and Art for Postgraduate Studies Abroad (AFPE)" granted by CONAHCYT – SACPC, Mexico.
2022 Winner of the FOCINE Feature Film Production Support, Mexico for This savage beast
2021 6 Crystal Screen Awards (Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Post- Production, New Talent) – Cristal Screen Awards, Mexico for Ana's Desire
2021 4 Nominations (Best Photography, Best Art Design, Best Editing, Best Soundtrack) – Crystal Screen Awards, Mexico for Ana's Desire
2021 Special Mention to the direction and script – Dreamanila IFF, Philippines for Ana's Desire
2021 Best Film – Quetzal International Film Festival, Mexico for Ana's Desire
2020 Best Foreign Film, Oriana Award - Sant Andreu de la Barca International Film Festival, Spain by Ana's Desire
2020 Best Performance and Best Photography – Austral International Film Festival, Argentina for Ana's Desire
2020 Best Mexican Film – International Author Film Festival, Mexico for Ana's Desire
2020 Tenango Award – Hidalgo International Film Festival, Mexico for Ana's Desire
2020 Best short film – León International Film Festival, Mexico for The Perfect Absent
2015 Best Feature Film Script, XV GIFF National Script Contest for Ana's Desire
SELECTION IN FESTIVALS AND SHOWS
2026 “New melodrama” research presentation - University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna, Austria.
2026 “Intaglio: Celebrating 10 years of Casa Lo’ool”, Lux Perpetua Art Center, México - Love Potions
2025 “Intersecciones y Fronteras” Collective Show in CANOA Laboratorio & Taler, México - Love Potions
2025 Doble A para Artistas Open Studios, Preparatoria Popular Mártires de Tlatelolco, México - Love Potions
2025 Sonari Visionari “In Xochitl In Cuicatl” collective exhibition, México - Love Potions
2025 Estudio Marte Open Studios, México - Love Potions
2025 Electric Shadows Amsterdam Open Studios, The Netherlands - Love Potions
2025 Casa Framboyán (Lux Perpetua Art Center) Open Studios, Mexico - Love Potions
2024 Tamatán Mexican Film Festival, Mexico - Silver heart
2024 Artistic Research Week Eye Filmmuseum, The Netherlands- Vera, Vera, Vera (or the behaviour of broken hearts)
2023 Shorts Mexico - Silver heart
2023 Taxco International Film Festival, Mexico - Silver heart
2023 Paloma Itinerante International Film Festival, Mexico - The Perfect Absent
2022 Mexican Film Festival 2022 “The projector”, Singapore - Ana's Desire
2022 Durango International Film Festival, Mexico- Ana's Desire
2022 Oruro International Film Festival “Diablo de Oro”, Bolivia - Ana's Desire
2021 Ensenada International Film Festival, Mexico - Ana's Desire
2021 Dreamanila International Film Festival, Philippines - Ana's Desire
2021 León International Film Festival, Mexico (Opening Film) - Ana's Desire
2021 Zsigmond Vilmos International Film Festival, Hungary - Ana's Desire
2021 Santiago del Estero Film Fest, Argentina - Ana's Desire
2021 Taxco International Film Festival, Mexico (Opening Film) - Ana's Desire
2021 Tequila International Film Festival, Mexico - Ana's Desire
2021 Panoramica, International Independent Film Festival, Mexico - Ana's Desire
2021 International Film Festival “El cine transformado por nosotras", Mexico - Ana’s Desire
2020 National Day of Mexican Cinema, Mexico - Ana's Desire
2020 Zaragoza Film Festival, Spain - Ana's Desire
2020 La Paz International Film Festival FICLAPAZ, Mexico - Ana's Desire
2020 Merida and Yucatan International Film Festival, Mexico - Ana's Desire
2020 Ícaro, International Film Festival in Central America, Guatemala - Ana's Desire
2020 Author Film Week of Lugo, Spain - Ana's Desire
2020 Film Script Festival, Mexico - Ana's Desire
2020 Raíces de Chivilcoy International Film Festival, Argentina - Ana's Desire
2020 Hola México Film Festival, USA - Ana's Desire
2020 Quito Latin American Film Festival, Ecuador - Ana's Desire
2020 Mexico City Independent Film Festival, Mexico - Ana's Desire
2020 Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival, USA - Ana's Desire
2019 International Festival of New Latin American Cinema of Havana, Cuba - Ana's Desire
2019 Los Cabos International Film Festival, Mexico - Ana's Desire
2019 Mostra Internacional de Cinema – Sao Paulo International Film Festival, Brazil - Ana's Desire
2019 Morelia International Film Festival, Mexico - The Perfect Absent
2019 Shorts Mexico, Mexico - The Perfect Absent
2019 Taxco International Film Festival, Mexico - The Perfect Absent
2019 Ventana Sur (Films in Progress), Argentina- Ana's Desire
2019 Los Cabos International Film Festival (Gabriel Figueroa Film Fund), Mexico - Ana's Desire
SELECTIONS IN WORKSHOPS AND RESIDENCIES
2025 Estudio Marte Networking Residency, México
2025 Casa Framboyán Artistic Residency in Mérida Yucatán, México
2024 Artistic Research Week Eye Filmmuseum, Netherlands
2023 Eccentric Pedagogies & Artistic Research, Netherlands
2023 Art Knowledges: daily rituals and aesthetic practices, Netherlands
2021 Gabriel Figueroa Film Fund, Mexico
2021 DocsLab – Docs MX, Mexico
2021 MX Platform, Mexico
2021 MAFF (Málaga Festival Fund & Co-production Event), Spain
2020 Talents Guadalajara – Berlinale Talents, Mexico
2020 Ibero-American Meeting of Emerging Filmmakers -Ibermedia, Guatemala
2018 MICA (Film and Audiovisual Industry Market), Mexico
2017 First and Second Film Analysis Workshop (TYPA Foundation), Mexico
2016 Match Me! – Locarno International Film Festival, Switzerland
2016 Ventana CineMad, Spain
2016 International Meeting of Producers – Cartagena de Indias International Film Festival, Colombia
2016 Bolivia Lab, Bolivia
2015 Incentive Program for Film Creators (IMCINE) - Project Development Support, Mexico
PARTICIPATIONS AS A JURY
2022 Tequila International Film Festival, Mexico – Mexican Fiction Feature Film Competition
2022 Taxco International Film Festival, Mexico – Documentary Short Film Competition
2021 Support Program for Script Writing and IMCINE Project Development – Script Writing Development of plot lines
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2026 CENTRO de Diseño, Cine y Televisión, Mexico – Directing, 5th semester
2025 CENTRO de Diseño, Cine y Televisión, Mexico – Program Creator & Program Director, Specialization in Cinematography
2025 CENTRO de Diseño, Cine y Televisión, Mexico – Analogue Film Theory, Specialization in Cinematography
2025 CENTRO de Diseño, Cine y Televisión, Mexico – Film and new media, 7th semester
2022 SAE Institute, Mexico – Direction and Production for final project I, 9th quarter.
2022 Centro ADM, Mexico – Program in cinematographic processes, Module 5
2021 CENTRO de Diseño, Cine y Televisión, Mexico – Direction, 2nd semester (substitute teacher)
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS / TEXTS / REVIEWS
2021 “Guidebook for the new melodramatic metod”, book by Emilio Santoyo (Anomia, Mexico)
2021 “La potencia del cine mexicano”, book by Jorge Ayala Blanco (CUEC-UNAM, Mexico)
2020 “Boundless Attraction: Ana’s Desire”, article by Gary M. Kramer (Film International, Sweden)
2020 “Ana’s Desire: a transgressive slow burn”article by The movie gourmet, (USA)
2018 “Emilio Santoyo on Ana’s Desire: talking about Sex in Mexico” interview by John Hopewell (Variety, USA)