Biography
Hector Abaunza is an award-winning Finnish-American Director, Cinematographer, and Executive Producer known for a distinct visual style that blends Scandinavian minimalism with high-precision cinematography. With a career spanning over three decades, Abaunza brings a truly global perspective to his work, having directed projects across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
Abaunza’s filmmaking roots were established in Helsinki, Finland, where he spent 14 years honing a narrative approach defined by Nordic aesthetics. He formally trained in Film Production and Cinematography at the prestigious École nationale supérieure Louis-Lumière in Paris. Now based between London and Los Angeles, he bridges the gap between European art-house sensibilities and Hollywood production value.
In the feature film world, Abaunza is the co-director and cinematographer of the 2026 feature documentary "The Truth Will Out," a groundbreaking investigation into the Shakespeare Authorship Question starring Sir Derek Jacobi and Alexander Waugh. The film is notable for its pioneering use of 12K resolution and Generative AI to reconstruct historical narratives. His narrative directorial debut, "Chinaman Confidential" (2015), won Best Drama at the EuroBest Film Festival and secured global distribution on Amazon Prime. He also served as Editor and Cinematographer for the acclaimed art-documentary "The Gun, The Cake and The Butterfly" (2013), winning Best Editor at the Bel Air Film Festival in Los Angeles.
Prior to his feature work, Abaunza established himself as a heavyweight in global advertising and broadcast. During his tenure in Singapore, he served as Co-Producer for the Asian Food Channel (AFC), Co-Producing cinematic docu-series such as "Martin Yan’s True Passions" and "The Next E&O Celebrity Chef" across Asia and Australia.
As a commercial director, his work has garnered prestigious accolades including the Grand Prix (Grand Cristal) at the Cristal Festival in France, a Gold Winner at the Baltic Advertising Awards, a Silver Hammer, and a finalist spot at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. He has directed high-budget campaigns for global brands including Suntory, Illy, Lexus, Samsung, Coca-Cola, Ford, Hyundai, and Range Rover across more than 20 countries.
Abaunza is the founder of the boutique production house Films Twentyfour Fps. He is currently in development on two upcoming feature films: the Korean-British drama "Sunflowers at Midnight" and the Japanese-language feature "Himari."
