Biography
Roberto Canales Sanchez Leon was born in Mexico City to a Colombian father and a Peruvian mother. He earned a degree in Communication Sciences from the Instituto Tecnologico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey and specialized in Documentary filmmaking at the International School of Film and Television in Cuba. As a producer, he co-produced "Blattangelus" with FOPROCINE, a feature documentary that won at the MIX Festival 2010 in Mexico City and was selected for over 10 festivals, including the Biarritz Festival (France), MiradasDocs (Tenerife, Spain), Festival Internacional de Cine de Morelia, DOCSDF, Chicago Film Festival, and Havana Festival, among others.
His first feature film as a director, "Rural City," was recently chosen to participate in the Guadalajara International Film Festival on March 30. As an executive producer, his company produced two theses for EICTV: "Xochiquetzal House" and "Taxi Libre" by Alana Simone, with the latter winning at the Festival Contra el Silencio todas las Voces 2010. He is currently producing "Aki Estamos," a documentary by Alejandro Ramirez that is in the shooting stage.
With over 15 years of experience in media as a filmmaker, Roberto has specialized in digital video, using it to explore various narratives and communication methods, including alternative campaigns, fiction, experimental work, documentary, and large events. He represented the International School of Film and Television in San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba, for more than a decade in Mexico.
Roberto is the founder of ro75, an audiovisual training center in Mexico City where young independent filmmakers develop the "ability-creativity" formula. The center features internationally recognized instructors such as Belkis Vega, Rodriguez, Jorge Fuentes, and Emmy winner Eric Goethals.
In the film industry, Roberto has participated in prestigious international festivals such as Ecofilms in Rhodes (Greece), Expresión en Corto (Guanajuato, Mexico), Telluride Film Festival (Colorado, USA), Valladolid International Film Festival (Spain), Bogotá Film Festival (Colombia), and Tampere Film Festival (Finland), among others.
In 2008, his fiction short film "If I Die Far From You," starring Martha Aura, toured over 10 international festivals and won the "Espiga de Plata" in Valladolid, Spain. Roberto has also coordinated and consulted on various creative audiovisual projects for globally recognized brands including Yazbek, KPMG, LG, Canon, Walter Thompson, Firestone, Grupo Salinas, Glaxo, Abbott Laboratories, Schering Plough, IFA, CAPUFE, SFP, SSP, CFE, SEGOB, Move You, SCM, and Cadbury Adams.
