The Cortez Brothers has added Spanish filmmaker and visual artist César Pesquera to its roster. “César’s exactly the kind of director we love,” said Bernadette Rivero, The Cortez Brothers president. “We appreciate his eye and artistic vision, and that he sees the world as his sandbox, but also that narrative storytelling is for him – as it is for us – the connective thread that ties the entire globe together.”
Pesquera has directed and designed moving image work across the visual arts spectrum, from commercials, music videos and short films, to digital art installations and graphic design. His range of work encompasses a variety of styles and techniques combining visual storytelling, animation and CGI.
Pesquera’s commercial directing resumé includes spots and branded content for Nike, Durex, Sony Playstation, MTV, Canal+, Absolut, Renault, Coca-Cola, Burger King and Kia. Notable ad agency clients include McCann-Erickson Paris, Publicis Groupe, Sra. Rushmore, Nadie, S.C.P.F., and SteinleMelches.
“The Cortez Brothers offers a great opportunity for me to enter the general market in the U.S. where I think you can find the best ideas and scripts,” Pesquera said.
His most recent work for Visionlab’s “Gratuito” campaign via agency Lola was awarded a Silver Sun at El Sol 2012, the Latin American Advertising Festival held annually in San Sebastián, Spain. His music video credits include the single “Love Your Friends, Hate Politicians” from The Suicide of Western Culture’s latest album, bRUNA’s 2013 single “Smell Memory,” and “El Mapa” by Los Planetas.
With a background in painting and graphic design, Pesquera took an interest in video and filmmaking while working on his Master’s in digital art at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona. His video works soon grabbed the attention of production company Booker in Barcelona, prompting the commission of his first commercial directing gig.
Pesquera has since gone on to screen and showcase various film and video projects internationally at festivals such as OFFF, Art Beijing, BAC!, Loop Festival, The Rencontres Internationales Paris/Berlin/Madrid, Art Futura, Resfest, Sonar, and Dotmov. In 2010, building on his directorial experience, he released his critically-acclaimed debut short film Circle One. Pesquera scripted, directed, edited and visually enhanced the experimental science-fiction piece with CGI.
“His visuals are just amazing,” The Cortez Brothers executive producer, Ed Rivero said. “The way he romances the camera is spectacular. It’s almost like you’re dreaming. I’ve never seen anyone able to bring ideas to life quite like that.”
For Pesquera, directing combines the joy of working with actors and tying in the visual aspects of his multimedia talents.
“I love graphic design and the problem-solving aspect of it,” Pesquera said. “I also enjoy all of the post/VFX aspects of production. But what’s most important to me is working with a good idea, a good story, and achieving an emotional impact on the viewer. I believe everything should work as a narrative element – I don’t like fireworks.”
With a second Master’s in the theory of contemporary art from Autonomous University of Barcelona, Pesquera continues to contribute to the international art scene. He develops projects both individually and in collaboration with other artists and collectives such as Barcelona-based creative cell Actop and British media art group D-Fuse. His work has exhibited museums worldwide: AMOADA (Austin, USA), ZKM (Karlsruhe, Germany), Centre Georges Pompidou (Paris, France), and DA2 Museum of Contemporary Art (Salamanca, Spain).
“Aside from working with someone else’s concept or brief as a director, versus executing my own idea as a visual artist, the process and elements of both focuses are quite similar,” Pesquera said. “A design eye and mind, a series of decisions always based on an initial concept, an obsession for detail – even if most of the time my work avoids Barroquism – and an equal interest in storytelling atmosphere all lead to the emotional result I seek to create.”
