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). From 2026, he is a PhD in the Arts candidate at Mozarteum University Salzburg (Austria), where he continues 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

2027 Love Potions (in post-production) – 90 min

2027 Vera, Vera, Vera (Or the behaviour of broken hearts) (in post-production) – 80 min

2027 This savage beast (in post-production) – 95 min

2026 Ghost letter for a lost love – 28 min

2023 Silver heart (Collective work) – 87 min

2020 Ana's desire – 79 min

2020 The absent perfect – 13 min

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)