“It’s a way to be in the world and build bridges for human dialogue. A journey that has merged through Work Integrated Learning in university. An inspiring space to cross borders where at the end there are always new beginnings.
A stunning character and direct cinema style in my first production, Cuba 15, opened new paths for us after an incredible ride in film festivals. A recent project, You Are Mythical, is a transmedia documentary feature film. In between, ideas that often are born as individual impulses that grow as collective adventures.”
Award winning filmmaker Pedro Valiente explores new narratives, visual theater, writing, and visual art. He has received two awards in Berlinale and an Emmy nomination; nearly sixty honors including screenings in 100+ film festivals (Sundance, SXSW); TV (PBS, BBC, TVE, Canal+); several presentations at MoMA; Whitney Biennial, and Lincoln Center. He started in film in New York, where he studied and worked for over ten years. He has also lived in Mexico City and the UK.
Pedro wrote: "I work in the frame of interdisciplinary and multicultural storytelling on the idea of ecology of souls." Recent projects are Multiple Portraits (2024) video installation trilogy; and You Are Mythical (2018), transmedia documentary film connecting daily life with classic myths that won awards in two film festivals in L.A.
[New York Spin] "Part experimental tone poem, part heartfelt elegy for 9/11 and part paean to the cultural richness of Gotham, [NYS] focuses on six New Yorkers. [...] This engrossing, imagistic portrait of the city and its denizens should prove a welcome short addition to fest and arty cable lineups." Ronnie Scheib, Variety. "This film shows filmmaking talent." Carole Dean, Roy W. Dean Foundation, NY. "I'm fascinated by this project: concept, people, structure, everything intrigues me." Deborah Cravey, Digital Media Center, Portland. [Cuba 15] "It's as delightful as anything I've seen upon a television screen." Robert Lloyd, LA Times. "She's irresistible. We learn more from her in 15min than from a half-dozen feature documentaries." Amy Taubin, NY The Village Voice.
In New York, Pedro started producing Cuba 15 by Elizabeth Schub, Jury Prize and Audience Award Best Short Film at Berlinale (Panorama), selected in 40+ festivals, and aired on POV (PBS). He worked mostly as assistant director in a dozen of projects including films produced by Steven Soderbergh and Spike Lee; worked for Saturday Night Live (NBC), Time Warner, and Vivendi Universal; and collaborated with The Rockefeller Foundation. He coproduced Forgetful ft. Ana Torrent, short film by New York University graduates that gathered 16 awards. In Mexico City, he directed TV series and coproduced short films at Televisa's Espacio.
In visual theater, Pedro collaborated for three years in video design for The Days Before DDDIII by director/artist Robert Wilson with text by Umberto Eco, music by Ryuichi Sakamoto, ft. Fiona Shaw and Isabella Rossellini at Lincoln Center; and wrote a PhD dissertation that turned into a book series on Wilson's creative process. He attended workshops with the Wooster Group (cofounder Willem Dafoe), Trisha Brown Dance Company, and Atsushi Takenouchi. In Mexico City, he `resented Japanese butoh dance at the National Center for the Arts. Back in time in Madrid, he coordinated a theater-dance company inspired by Joan Brossa and Kazuo Ohno; and directed a university theater company making an early use of video on stage, and premieres by Bernard-Marie Koltès, Sergi Belbel, and Julio Cortázar.
International projects include New York Film Academy (International Relations director), edX by MIT/Harvard University (Film MOOC coproducer), Arts University Plymouth, UK (BA Contemporary Media Practice program leader), Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (European project media director), Tecnológico de Monterrey (lecturer), and Cancun Riviera Maya International Film Festival (director). In the frame of Work Integrated Learning, Pedro has lectured internationally for 10yrs+. PhD Audiovisual Creativity and Production, MA Cinema Studies (Madrid). Training in Film, Photo, Writing, Theater/Dance (NY), and Visual Art (UK).”
New narratives in transmedia filmmaking, visual theater, writing, and visual art. FILMMAKING You Are Mythical I New York Spin (Feature Films) Cuba 15 I Forgetful (Short Films) I Documentary Films, Televisa Series (TV) • VISUAL THEATER ROBERT WILSON The Days Before DDDIII I BUTOH DANCE I Bufons I Tilmun Teatro.
VISUAL ART Multiple Portraits video art trilogy. Digital art. Screenings at MoMA, Whitney Biennial (NY), museums and art centers (Spain, Italy, UK). WRITING for film and visual theater. Poetry. Books. PhD dissertation. Articles on the arts in Madrid and New York.
Project development in the arts mostly in higher education. New York Film Academy NYFA (US), International Relations director • Arts University Plymouth AUP (UK), BA (Hons) Contemporary Media Practice program leader • International Film Festival Cancun Riviera Maya (MX) director • European Project Universidad Carlos III de Madrid UC3M (Spain) media director • Film/TV Event Televisa (MX) Espacio Cine director.
NEW YORK Work for Vivendi Universal (writers coordinator), collaboration for NBC (Saturday Night Live production assistant), Time Warner (editor), and The Rockefeller Foundation (grants advisor).
MADRID In early career, writing for El Público, performing arts magazine by the Ministry of Culture, and training at national television (RTVE) in Spain.
Work Integrated Learning (WIL) for 10yrs+ in the US, UK, Spain, Mexico • FOCUS Hybrid Projects, Transmedia Storytelling, Innovation / Technology, New York Independent Cinema, Theater of Images • COURSES Filmmaking, TV Production, Directing, Writing, Performing Arts, Documentary Film, Visual Narrative, Visual Art, Digital Photography • PROGRAMS BA: Digital Film/Media, Visual Communication, Animation, Graphic & Multimedia Design, Interior Design • MA: Transmedia Documentary Film • PhD: Art Research / Media Arts • UNIVERSITIES NYFA (US), AUP (UK), UC3M (Spain), Tecnológico de Monterrey (MX).
PROJECTS Film MOOC for edX by MIT/Harvard University at UC3M I Film / Theater / Art projects in Tec21 Educational Model.
EDUCATION PhD cum laude Audiovisual Creativity and Production, MA Cinema Studies, MA/BA Journalism, Diploma Photo (UCM, UAM), Filmmaking (NYFA, US) I TRAINING Writing, Theater/Dance (NY), Visual Art (AUP, UK) I ONLINE 15 Certificates Film / Writing / Art (Spain), Transmedia Arts & Technology (metaLAB, Harvard University).