Biographie
Born in Lima, Peru, De Montreuil is a director of feature films and commercials based in Los Angeles. During his youth, he studied painting at the Trujillo Fine Arts School under the guidance of renowned Peruvian painter Pedro Azabache. He earned a BA and an MA in Graphic Design, along with a minor in Film and Art History, from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Later, he honed his directing skills studying with Judith Weston in Los Angeles.
His first feature film, La Mujer de mi Hermano (My Brother's Wife), adapted from a novel by the provocative Peruvian author Jaime Bayly, was acquired by Twentieth Century Fox for Latin American distribution and by Lionsgate for theatrical release in the US. The film became one of the most successful in Latin American cinema history, achieving the widest release and highest opening weekend box office for a Spanish-language film in the US at that time.
His follow-up film, Máncora, was selected to compete in the World Drama category at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and screened at numerous festivals including SXSW, Edinburgh, Mill Valley, Stockholm, São Paulo, Seattle, Miami, and Bergen International Film Festivals.
De Montreuil’s 2010 sci-fi short, The Raven, attracted significant industry acclaim for its compelling narrative and striking visual effects. It topped that year’s industry Black List for short films, surpassing high-profile projects such as Iñárritu's Nike commercial. Together with screenwriter Justin Marks and producer Mark Wahlberg, he developed a feature-length adaptation of the film at Universal Pictures.
He directed the feature Lowriders for Universal Pictures, produced by Brian Grazer and Jason Blum, starring Academy Award nominee Demián Bichir. More recently, he directed the pilot for Amazon’s Once Upon a Time in Aztlan, produced by Amazon Studios and STX.
His latest feature, Mistura, premiered in the US at the 2024 Mill Valley Film Festival, followed by its Latin American premiere at the Morelia International Film Festival, where it earned the festival’s longest standing ovation. At the 2024 Newport Beach Film Festival, Mistura won Jury Awards for Best Picture, Best Screenplay, and Best Actress. At the 2025 Durango Independent Film Festival, it received the Jury Awards for Best Picture and Best Actress, along with the Audience Award for Best Picture.
