Emilio Santoyo (Mexico, 1990) is an artist, filmmaker and researcher. His work investigates themes such as the representation of love and violence, family and memory, questioning and expanding the possibilities of fiction in cinema through multi-disciplinary methods of production.

He directed the short film “The perfect absent” (2019), a well as the fictional feature-length films “Ana’s desire” (2019), “Silver heart” (co-direction, 2023) and “This savage beast” (in postproduction). In 2015 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.

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). He currently edits his new feature film, “Vera, Vera, Vera (or the behaviour of broken hearts)” and develops 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 heads the Cinematography Specialization Postgraduate Program in CENTRO de Diseño, Cine y Televisión (Mexico).

EDUCATION

2025-2026 ARRI Certified Film School Program — Certified Instructor (Germany)

2024-2025 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 and Television – Center for Design, Film and Television (Mexico)

FILMOGRAPHY

2025 Vera, Vera, Vera (Or the behaviour of broken hearts) (in post-production) – 80 min

2025 Ghost letter for a lost love (in post-production) - 28 min

2025 This savage beast (in post-production) – 95 min

2023 Silver heart (Collective work) – 87 min

2019 Ana's desire – 79 min

2019 The perfect absent – 13 min

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

2025 CENTRO de Diseño, Cine y Televisión, Mexico – Program Director, Specialization in Cinematography 

2025 CENTRO de Diseño, Cine y Televisión, Mexico – Theory and concepts of analogue cinema, 1st quarter (Specialization in Cinematography).

2025 CENTRO de Diseño, Cine y Televisión, Mexico – Film and new media, 7th semester (Bachelor in Film and TV)

2022 SAE Institute, Mexico – Direction and Production for final project I, 9th quarter. (Bachelor in Film)

2022 Centro ADM, Mexico – Program in cinematographic processes, Module 5

2021 CENTRO de Diseño, Cine y Televisión, Mexico – Direction, 2nd semester (Bachelor in Film and TV)

SELECTED TEXTS

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)