Film Director Jesús Sifuentes Bio

After working in the film industry for over 20 years, I finally took the first steps in exploring my own voice as a filmmaker and enrolled in the Sundance Director Core program with my instructor Criterion Collection Alumni director Claudia Weill. As part of the program, I had to direct my first short film entitled Library of Babel, which was inspired by Jorge Luis Borges internationally acclaimed short story The Library of Babel. Claudia praised my ambition, cinematic scope, and the actor’s performances.

Through serendipity I randomly came across an article that highlighted director Alex Proyo’s new distribution company Vidiverse and decided to submit my short film Library of Babel. Alex directed the iconic film The Crow which was ingrained in my generation and to date is still one of my favorite love stories. This was a huge deal for me since Alex was going to view all submissions and hand pick the films himself. Shortly after I got an email announcing that I made the first round of films to be included in Vidiverse’s official launch. I was in awe.

My journey into the arts has been erratic and coming from a working-class family it wasn’t even an option. But in their own way my parents were artist. My father’s love for Spanish Conjunto and Norteno music was deep. His passion for music was so profound that he bought an accordion and would play it with such jubilation. As for my mother she must have taken hundreds of family photos on Polaroids, 35mm film camera, and disposable cameras. No one could have captured the join of family the way my mother has. She has a way of opening people up so they can reveal a shade of their being.

I wrote my first play in 3rd grade. It was a simple tale about Dracula and his friend Frankenstein going on an adventure. I didn’t touch theatre or the arts until high school. Being an at-risk teen led me to many dark corners of human nature. It was a primal energy that many don’t witness. The violence, self-destruction, and nihilism of that era is imprinted on me. It wasn’t until high school where I randomly took a theatre class thinking it was a good place to cure my hangovers and just crash out. Luckily, I had a theatre teacher who wouldn’t let you disrespect craft. The first role I had was of an abusive husband which we performed at our sister middle school. The crowd was belligerent, rowdy, and wild but when I came on stage, I had their full attention. It was a profound form of communication. Something deep and ancient. Something these kids recognized. Something felt real to them. We suspended time and they made the agreement to enter this world. I had a paradigm shift and I’ve been in it ever since.

My real first experience with cinema was at the drive-in while watching John Carpenter’s Apocalypse Trilogy Prince of Darkness. Those images are embedded in my subconscious till the day I die. I was 12. It was my first introduction to esoteric filmmaking. Even as a kid I was dense. Trying to decode the number of the beast, reading Time Life; Mysteries of the Unknown, and having glimpses of other realms. I’ve devoured every book I can get my hands on and my palette for cinema is multifaceted. The film that made me even consider being a film director was Darren Aronofsky’s Pi. It encompassed everything that has driven me. Forbidden knowledge, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, being defiant against overbearing deities, and the madness of self-reflection.

There is a recurring theme in my life that I want to explore as a filmmaker. Defiant souls going through a mystical experience. Currently, I am developing my Spiritual Vigilante Trilogy which includes Broken Saint, Rituals for a Broken Heart, and Violent Hues.

I replenish my energy with my beloved wife Rebecca, my artist daughter Itzel Luna, our diva chug Eevee, and the tribe I call my family.