JUAN PALACIO

Filmmaking as a career, or perhaps a lifestyle, was ingrained in me early on. My dad would regale me with stories of my uncle, the director Sam Peckinpah, like when Sam gave him a part in Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia because he didn't have enough money to pay his rent, or how he almost died playing with the bear trap from Straw Dogs. I learned about how films are made, and was exposed to obscure and brilliant cinema at a young age.

My first film industry job was at a commercial production company in Los Angeles, doing a little bit of everything as their in-house coordinator. They represented people like Luis Mandoki (Voces Inocentes, When a Man Loves a Woman), Rodrigo García (Big Love, Six Feet Under) and Roberto Sneider (Frida), and I learned how to edit by working with these talented and experienced filmmakers. I’ve since edited commercials for clients such as Land Rover, Microsoft, Coors Light, Tom Ford, The Los Angeles Times, Harley-Davidson, Moncler and Amnesty International, among others.

When I transitioned into being a freelance editor, Oscar nominated director Carlos Bolado asked me to edit a feature film he was directing. Called Tlatelolco: Summer of ‘68, which won best film at the Lleida Latin-American Film Festival and the Audience Award at the Chicago Latino Film Festival. I ended up editing a TV series and 2 feature films with Bolado. It was an amazing learning experience working with him, as before becoming a director he was considered by many to be the best editor of his time in Mexico, having cut movies such as Like Water for Chocolate and serving as an editorial advisor on Amores Perros.

I love art and fashion and have also worked on many projects that fall into those categories. I’ve worked with artists like Miguel Calderon and WIFE. Art films I have edited have been screened at the Palais de Tokyo, MOCA, Museo Salvatore Ferragamo and the Marfa Film Festival. I have worked on fashion films for Dazed and Love Magazine featuring people like Billie Eilish, Lena Dunham, Shalom Harlow, Hunter Schafer and Chelsea Manning.

I work in various formats including commercial, branded content, television, feature film, fashion film, art film and documentary, and I’m fluent in both English and Spanish.

SOME OF THE COMPANIES I'VE WORKED WITH: