Juan Carlos Almeida Italo Mexican cinematographer

It would be nice to say that his love for cinema began with Fellini, Bergman or Tarkovsky. But no, Juan Carlos' story is more local. He would have been just 7 years old when one morning he saw his house invaded by dozens of people carrying imposing lighting fixtures and enormous cameras. The film María de mi Corazón, by Jaime Humberto Hermosillo, was shot there. Less than a meter tall, he was a witness and an extra in a film festival that marked him for life.

From that glow he decided to study Communication at the Universidad Iberoamericana; two years were enough to realize that it was not his thing. He abandoned running and began working in the production area in different production houses. While he was finding his academic path, he completed the diploma in still photography at Kodak Mexico where he learned all the chemical processes of analog photography and experimented with all its formats: 4x5, 6x6 and 35mm. This allowed him to make the leap into the digital world on a large scale.

Years later, he decided to go to Cuba to study Cinema and graduate as a Director of Photography at the emblematic EICTV, founded by Gabriel García Márquez and Francis Ford Coppola.

For 3 years he had access to the knowledge and techniques of international experts, as well as valuable contact with students from different latitudes and cultures.

Since then he has begun his journey as a Director of Photography, pouring his talent and passion into films, series and commercials. The inspiration of masters such as Ansel Adams and especially of travel, have influenced Juan Carlos's search to portray unique moments that he captures by heart: imposing railways, the surprising red light of the sunset, the innocent smile of a child or the whiteness of the clouds on the peaks of the Alps. Unique moments that reflect a permanent search to capture the contrasts of life in his work. With its nuances and textures. With its lights and shadows.