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Between 1992 and 1994, he studied at the prestigious ESRA film school in Paris (notable alumni include Florent Emilio Siri, Jean-François Richet, and Pascal Laugier), earning a BTS in production. In 1995, he completed the AVID master class in Video and Arts in New York.
During his studies, he produced around a dozen short films to gain practical experience. In 1994, he worked as a location manager for the well-known Canal+ TV series "Les Gros Cons." He moved to New York from 1995 to 1996, quickly securing a role as international sales manager at Fox Lorber, distributor of John Woo’s films. Later, he relocated to Los Angeles to join Roger Corman’s marketing department at New Concorde-Horizons.
In 1997, he directed a six-episode pilot TV series for Canal+ titled "The Toilette Zone." That same year, Hamster Production hired him as unit manager for a TV series aired on France 2, a major French network.
After founding his own production company, Navarro Films, he directed and produced his debut feature film "Neutre" in 2001, which was released in theaters, on television, and on DVD. "Neutre" was selected for numerous festivals, including Montreal, Mar del Plata, Hof, Braunschweig, and Geneva. He also directed a music video for the popular Swiss rap group Sens Unik.
The year 2003 marked a significant milestone in his career. At the Cannes Film Festival, he was chosen as one of the 18 best emerging European producers in the prestigious Producer On The Move program. That year, Swiss network TSR commissioned him to produce two documentaries for the series "Photosuisse." He also graduated from EAVE, Europe’s leading workshop for producers.
In 2004, he produced "Love Express" for the German-French channel ARTE, which was released theatrically and screened at festivals like Toronto Cinéfranco and FIPA. Additionally, he produced the documentary "Geisha - The Twilight of Flowers" for TSR, which was sold to major TV networks worldwide, including ABC, NHK, Canal+, and RAI.
In 2005, he produced "RYNA," a critically acclaimed film that earned 18 festival selections—such as AFI Hollywood, Montreal, Seattle, Cleveland, Sarajevo, Bangkok, Namur, and Thessaloniki—and won over eight awards. As a result, he received a 2006 nomination for Best Picture at the Quartz Swiss Academy Awards as producer.
That same year, he directed the documentary "Swiss Made in Hollywood" for "Temps Présent," Switzerland’s equivalent of "CBS 60 Minutes." He also directed an episode of the TV series "Designsuisse" focusing on San Francisco-based designer Yves Béhar for Swiss national television.
In 2007, he produced "La Tribu," a TV series for Switzerland’s major network featuring leading Swiss comedians.
In 2009, he earned his second Swiss Academy Award nomination as producer for Best Animation Film with "Tango Lola." He also directed a music video for Stress, Switzerland’s best-selling artist.
In March 2006, Navarro Films joined the European producers’ group Tarantula, which operates in France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and Great Britain, officially becoming Tarantula Suisse. He departed from Tarantula in July 2009 after producing over 20 films and TV series during a decade.
Between 2009 and 2010, he directed two seasons (38 weeks) of the Swiss adaptation of "Spitting Image" or "DC Follies," titled "Les Bouffons de la Confédération," which achieved significant success and is part of a format existing in over 15 countries.
Currently, Xavier Ruiz has completed directing his second feature film "Verso," featuring a notable international cast including Laurent Lucas ("Harry With a Friend Like Harry," "Calvaire"), Carlos Leal ("Casino Royale," "Los Abrazos Rotos," "CBS - Chaos"), Delphine Chaneac ("Splice"), and Arben Bajraktaraj ("Harry Potter 7," "Taken," "Eden Log"). The film has been released in seven major countries: France, the UK, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, and Switzerland.
Since 2008, Xavier has been a member of the Swiss Academy of Cinema and is also affiliated with the ARF, the Swiss Directors Guild.
