MX
CTY

Xavier Cunilleras

Cinematographer, Director

Xavier Cunilleras

Documentaries, Feature Films, and Commercials

Xavier is a multidisciplinary filmmaker based in Mexico City and directing all over the world. He studied cinematography at CECC in Barcelona (2001) and Fine Arts at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine (2013). His global background allows him to direct confidently across Latin America, the U.S., and Europe.

In addition to his commercial work, his documentary and feature projects have allowed him to travel to over 30 countries. He is fully bilingual, speaking English and Spanish.

Documentary Filmmaking with Cinematographer/Director, Xavier Cunilleras

Xavier Cunilleras is a versatile filmmaker and visual artist based in Mexico City, specializing in documentaries, feature films, and commercials. For years, Xavier has lent his cinematic, docu-style lens to Hometeam projects for clients like Google Android and Expedia, as well as Apple TV+'s My Kind of Country. A favorite collaboration between Hometeam and Xavier was Google News Initiative's "Periodistas a Pie," a docu-story that spotlighted a women-founded network of independent journalists, giving voice to underrepresented and Indigenous communities across Mexico. Filmed nimbly in remote, cell-service-free mountainous regions of Chihuahua, Xavier confidently captured stunning, unfiltered visuals–a testament to his skill, eye for authentic filmmaking, and passion for global storytelling.

As Xavier puts it:

"With documentaries more, I've traveled to places that are super difficult to find or be able to enter.”

His undeniable eye for breathtaking visuals is evident in his latest feature documentary, The Guardian of the Monarchs (El Guardián de las Monarcas), which is now streaming worldwide on Netflix. The film has earned many accolades and was recently awarded a Best Cinematography in a Documentary award at the New Aperture Awards and also has been shortlisted for Best Documentary Feature Length Film at the 67th Ariel Awards. After seeing the documentary ourselves, we're thrilled to have the opportunity to sit down with him for an episode of the Chasing the Same Sun podcast.

Xavier deep-dives into his instrumental role as DOP, crafting the visuals that told the poignant story of Homero Gómez González, an environmental activist protecting monarch butterflies in Michoacán, Mexico, whose mysterious death ignited an investigation into wider threats to environmentalists. The documentary is a fascinating and poignant intertwinement of nature, true crime, and geopolitical complexities, touching on the challenges of environmental protection and cartel activity. 

The film's cinematic recreations, orchestrated by Xavier, were a particular standout, bringing nuance and delicacy to a documentary trope that can often feel procedural. Xavier explains how, through the use of silhouettes, shallow depth of field, and playful foreground/background compositions, he was able to find evocative ways to represent Homero without explicitly showing his face. The film is filled with plenty more visually striking moments, and features a breathtaking underwater sequence of butterflies, a technically daunting feat achieved with a local crew and special free-divers.

When asked about what inspires his cinematography, Xavier tells us that it’s his background in fine art, cultivated in his Mexico City studio where, he explores photography, installations, and painting. Xavier believes this interdisciplinary approach fosters a "lateral way of thinking and solving things” allowing him to create textures and images that stretch beyond conventional filmmaking approaches.

We also discussed the boom of Mexico City as a filmmaking hub for commercials, TV and film—Xavier confirms, things are indeed flourishing. With close proximity to the U.S. and Canada, his home city has become a year-round go-to shooting location, boasting diverse landscapes from ancient sites, mountainous ranges and vibrant cities. The city's stable weather, growing studio infrastructure (including new large studios), and a production-friendly government willing to facilitate large-scale shoots, are a few of the many reasons production there is thriving. It's not just international companies looking to Mexico City; local filmmakers are boldly defining their industry: 

“Everyone is trying to push forward together and everyone is really confident in their ideas and they're trying to hammer their ideas to a rock until they’ve found a solution to do it. And they’re really smart in their ways of solving things out. They don't have to have a lot of money–they have ingenuity.

Xavier recently debuted a social impact museum exhibition, utilizing 40 LED screens, filmed footage, and AI, which premiered on June 25th at the Museum of Memory and Tolerance in Mexico City.

To hear the full conversation, check out our Original Podcast, Chasing the Same Sun: Global Adventures in Filmmaking below: