David Barba

David Barba was born in Monterrey, Mexico and raised in Mexico City. David's father is Mexican and his mother is Scottish and he speaks English and Spanish fluently. He received a BA from Stanford University. He attended the Columbia University School of the Arts, receiving an MFA in Film. His short film XP received a Sloan Foundation Production Grant. His thesis short film Adios, para Siempre (2006 HBO Urbanworld VIBE Best Short Film) shot on location in Mexico City, screened at festivals worldwide and aired on Showtime (Latino Filmmakers' Showcase) in the US and on AXN throughout Latin America. His first feature documentary, co-directed with James Pellerito, Pop Star on Ice, about 2-time Olympian Johnny Weir, screened at festivals around the world including SilverDocs (now AFIDocs) and Frameline. The film had a limited theatrical release at IFC Center in New York and aired on Sundance Channel and Logo TV. Following the success of the documentary, David created a documentary series leading up to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics called Be Good Johnny Weir which aired on Sundance Channel and Logo TV. Season 2 of the series aired on LogoTV in 2012. His second feature documentary, American Cheerleader, had a national theatrical exhibition through Fathom Events. His latest documentary, Anatomy of a Male Ballet Dancer, about American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Marcelo Gomes, won the Audience Award at the 2017 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. David is a founder of Retribution Media, a film and television production company based in New York, as well as the New York City Short Film Festival (NYC Shorts) in 2005. He is a graduate of the two-year Meisner acting program with Suzanne Esper at the Esper Studio in New York.