Mario Pagano

Mario Pagano (1975) is a Venezuelan director, writer, producer and cinematographer. He began to tell stories from the age of 15, with the video 8 camera that his parents gave him. He made his first cinematographic sketches, with his brother and cousins like accomplices. His genetic mix combines the aestheticism of his Italian part from his father and the exuberance of Venezuela -his mother, in a family environment where Art and Music were protagonist. At the age of 18, Mario begins to work in front of the cameras in commercials and T.V. programs. At the same time he studied Advertising at the university and finished his career in 1996. He lives a brief season in Paris, where he expands his connection with Art through fashion and returns to Caracas to study the acting career, with the firm goal of understanding the actor's methodology and making his way to directing film. In 1998, he dedicates himself to photography in a self-taught way and stands out with his photographic style, full of color and strength, moving away from minimalism and creating a narrative through the images that he creates. This call the attention of the most important fashion magazines and advertising agencies in Latin America with which Mario did work. At the age of 27, he received the "Best Fashion Photographer of Latin America" award for "Vogue Latin Fashion Awards". After Mario settled in New York to study at the New York Film Academy. During his stay in New York, he directs his first three short films and works as cinematographer in several productions, using light and chiaroscuro as a narrative tool. In 2003, he moved to Spain (Madrid), where he continued his audiovisual career working in different film projects, TV Series, music videos and commercials. In his search for new ways of storytelling, Mario also experimented with theater, directing and producing "Do not ask me to return" and "Paco the Butcher" which also writes, two works in which he experiences the direct response of the public and the organic change of the staging by the actors. In Madrid he also made four short films: "Eleven" (2007), "Shock" (2010) "7MF" (2012) and "Again" (2013), among them "Shock" won the "Special mention Calle 13" at the Spanish film festival: "Notodo Film Fest", also the short film was selected in a wide variety of international film festivals. In 2016 he premieres his first feature film titled: "Backseat Fighter" in which he is the scriptwriter, director, producer and cinematographer. The film is and independent production, shot in English has been premiered in theaters in Europe, Latin America & USA. The film has obtain the "Official selection" in different international film festivals as the "Venezuelan Film Festival in New York" and the "International Fine Arts Film Festival" and won three awards at the "International Action Film Festival of Spain" including: "Best Picture"