Biography
Born in Lima, Peru, De Montreuil is a feature film and commercial director residing in Los Angeles. In his youth, he studied painting at the Trujillo Fine Arts School and was trained by the renowned Peruvian painter Pedro Azabache. De Montreuil graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a BA in Graphic Design, an MA in Graphic Design, and a minor in Film and Art History. He later studied directing under Judith Weston in Los Angeles.
His debut feature film, La Mujer de mi Hermano (My Brother's Wife), based on a novel by the controversial Peruvian author Jaime Bayly, was acquired by distributors Twentieth Century Fox for distribution in Latin America and by Lionsgate for US theatrical distribution. La Mujer de mi Hermano is one of the most successful films in the history of Latin American exhibition and enjoyed both the largest release and the biggest opening weekend box office for a Spanish-language film in the US at the time.
His next film, Máncora, was selected for competition in the World Drama category at the Sundance Film Festival 2008 and screened at SXSW, Edinburgh International Film Festival, Mill Valley Film Festival, Stockholm International Film Festival, São Paulo International Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, Miami International Film Festival, and Bergen International Film Festival.
De Montreuil's 2010 science fiction short film The Raven gained significant industry attention and praise for its engaging storytelling and impressive visual effects, earning it the first position on that year's industry short form Black List, surpassing million-dollar spots such as Iñárritu's Nike commercial. De Montreuil, along with screenwriter Justin Marks and producer Mark Wahlberg, set up the feature version of the film at Universal Pictures.
De Montreuil directed the feature film Lowriders for Universal Pictures, which was produced by Brian Grazer and Jason Blum and starred Academy Award nominee Demián Bichir. More recently, he directed the pilot for Amazon's Once Upon a Time in Aztlan for Amazon Studios and STX.
His latest feature film, Mistura, had its U.S. premiere at the 2024 Mill Valley Film Festival. It then had its Latin American premiere at the Morelia International Film Festival, where it received the longest standing ovation of the festival. At the 2024 Newport Beach Film Festival, Mistura won the Jury Awards for Best Picture, Best Screenplay, and Best Actress. At the 2025 Durango Independent Film Festival, it received both the Jury Award for Best Picture and Best Actress, as well as the Audience Award for Best Picture.
