SANTIAGO PALADINES
Writer / Director
BIO
Santiago Paladines is an Ecuadorian award winning film writer /director. He is based in Quito and in Los Angeles. In 2017, he graduated with an MFA in directing from the prestigious American Film Institute in Hollywood.
His thesis film THE FARE won several awards and was selected to screen at more than 30 film festivals around the world, including the Oscar qualifying AFI Fest. Apart from other victories, THE FARE won the Directors Guild of America Student Film Jury Award in Los Angeles and the First Prize at the Hispanic Heritage Short Film Awards in Washington DC. Santiago also received recognitions from the City of Los Angeles and the California Senate for his valuable contribution as a filmmaker for the Latino community.
In 2012, Santiago wrote and directed the feature documentary ESTRELLA 14, the victory story of Ecuador’s most popular soccer team after a loosing dry spell lasting 15years. This documentary was released nationally in Ecuadorian theaters and was voted "Best Documentary Film Of The Year".
From 2009 to 2012, Santiago was the head of production for ECUAVISA, one of the biggest TV networks in Ecuador. During this time, he was the executive producer and show runner for a popular limited episodic drama series called PARECE QUE FUE AYER.
Also a writer of repute, Santiago’s feature scripts have been recognized at competitions and writing labs. His screenplay EL VIAJE was shortlisted at the 2018 Sundance Writers Lab, won a development grant from the Ecuadorian Film Agency ICCA and was chosen as one of three projects to represent Ecuador at the Marche Du Film in Cannes 2019.
Recently, Santiago was commissioned to write and direct a commercial for the renowned car brand MASERATI, which succeeded in getting more than 3 thousand views on the first day of it’s release in Ecuador.
In 2020, Santiago was invited as a professor in residence at the prestigious USFQ University in Quito, Ecuador. He teaches directing to upcoming student filmmakers. A cherished opportunity, as he believes in contributing to the film community for a profession he loves with a passion.
