Film Director +
Creative Director

Arely Vazquez's personal story as an immigrant and transgender woman is the starting point of the short movie "La Flaca", that attempts to show what the Santa Muerte (Holy Death) cult is about - a cult formed by those marginalized in our society. The movie blurs the line between documentary and fiction when bringing together real characters and events with a fictional plot, based on the day of the 9th Anniversary of the Santa Muerte. Arely gathers the devotees annually in a celebration through the night, idealized by her as a form of fulfilling her vows to the Skeleton Saint.

TANGERINE

Client: GOL Airlines

Agency: Môre

(Content + Website)

Role: Creative Director

As Creative Director, I led the concept and development of the launch website for Tangerina, GOL’s new design system. The site combines immersive storytelling, sleek interactions, and a brand video I directed to introduce Tangerina’s core principles and visual identity. Designed to inspire and inform, the experience positions Tangerina as a bold step forward in unifying GOL’s brands through thoughtful, human-centered design.

I’M HERE

Client: Absolut Vodka

Agency: TBWA NY

Role: Creative Director

This short film was created for Absolut Vodka as part of their Collaborative Series campaign. In this case, we partnered with Spike Jonze to tell a story about how creativity triumphs over conformity. The result is a heartfelt narrative about a robot who falls in love. The film premiered at Sundance.

ABSOLUT ANTHEM

Client: Absolut Vodka

Agency: TBWA NY

(TV Spot + OOH)

Role: Creative Director

Absolut Vodka’s anthem spot carried a simple message: doing things differently leads to something extraordinary. Directed by Rupert Sanders, the production involved large-scale sculptures and practical stunts, filmed across five different cities — all set to the haunting sound of a Joy Division track. The result is a striking montage of human-made installations, seamlessly woven together to embody the brand’s motto.

PUMA BOOK 1

Role: Photographer

Product photos for Nike’s Book 1 new Haven, Hike and Rattlesnake.

As a powerful storm sweeps through Southeast Mexico, a family takes refuge in their small meatshop. In the dead of night, their grandmother weaves an ancient tale of the Xtbay—a spirit born of grief and longing—to help them confront their fears and hold onto hope as their father is lost in the storm.

This short film emerged from a filmmaking lab in the Yucatán Peninsula, led by Pedro Costa. Participants developed and shot their projects on location, collaborating with local non-actors and drawing inspiration from the region. Blending fiction and reality, the film captures the resilience of family amidst the Yucatán’s raw beauty and cultural depth.

HALO BELIEVE

Client: Microsoft

Agency: AKQA

(Website & Campaign)

Role: Creative Director

This was one of the most successful campaigns to date for Microsoft. The digital launch of the Halo 3 franchise involved many different components, including a website, an ARG and TV spots.

A 40" X 40" diorama of a battle scene from the game was built, containing miniatures from Stan Winston at New Deal Studios. THrough motion control cameras, and digital compositing to transform the scene into a first person immersive experience.

It involved many different components like an interactive spot that allowed the user to travel through a 40" X 40" diorama of a battle scene from the game.

I had the pleasure to direct a series of films for PUMA Football, with some of the greatest soccer players around: Marco Reus, Antoine Griezmann, Luis Suárez, Sergio Aguero and Romelu Lukaku. The campaign promoted their new HACKED line of boots and the films highlighted the glitchy texture on the boots, that spreads around the scenes to create crazy effects and weird situations involving each player.

NY-Z

Client: Absolut Vodka

Agency: TBWA NY

(Documentary + OOH)

Role: Creative Director

NY-Z is a project featuring Jay-Z for Absolute Vodka. It's a documentary created in the spirit of creative collaboration, in this case between Jay-Z and the photographer Danny Clinch. The result is a beautiful film about Jay-Z and tons of photographs taken by Danny Clinch. The documentary played at Jay-z's concert at the Madison Square Garden in New York, right before Jay-Z's concert.

SNACKLISH

Client: Snickers

Agency: TBWA NY

(Digital Campaing + Website)

Role: Creative Director

A fully functional real-time translator from English to Snacklish was developed in collaboration with programmers and linguists. Using phonetic algorithms and thousands of custom word translations, we brought this deceptively simple idea to life. The project gained widespread attention, even earning a feature on Jimmy Kimmel Live, which drove a significant spike in traffic to the site.

PHOTO ESSAY #3 - HIDALGO PENITENTIARY, MEXICO

Role: Photographer

These are a few pictures that I took while doing the research for “La Flaca”, at the Hidalgo State penitentiary, Mexico.

Every year after the Day of the Dead in November, Enriqueta used to visit several locations to hold a mass for the Santa Muerte (Holy Death) devotees. One of these locations is the Hidalgo State prison. More than half the inmates are devotees and they wait for Enriqueta to bless them and talk about their future and what their life will be like when they come out of prison. Enriqueta passed away a few years ago.

A Nigerian professor, who lives in between Brazil, travels the world to reclaim the true history of Èṣù and prove to the world that this orixá is not the Devil.

AWARDS & FESTIVALS:

• 25th Rio Film Festival, Audience Award for Best Documentary

• 45th São Paulo International Film Festival, Critics’ Award for Best Documentary

• ABD Award, Best Documentary Editing

• Ecofalante Environmental Film Festival, Audience Award

• Bushwick Film Festival (October 2023), Honorable Mention

• SVA Film & Media Festival, Best Film

• LALIFF 2023 Latino International Film Festival

• 62nd FICCI (Cartagena de Indias International Film Festival)

• OJU Roda SESX Black Cinema Showcase

• Kinoarte Film Festival

MARKETS/LABS:

• Points North Fellowship

• "Only in NY" Industry Meetings at the DOC NYC.

• Latino Media Market - NALIP Media Summit

• WIP Latino - Festival de Cine Internacional de Guadalajara in LA. Awarded with the Marketing Movie Runner. 

• Industry Meetings at DocSP - International Documentary Meeting of Sao Paulo. 

• VI Chile Conecta Encuentro Internacional de Industria Documental

PHOTO ESSAY #1 - NIGERIA

Role: Photographer

These are a few pictures that I took while doing the research for “Esu and the Universe”.

This photo series was created during the research for my documentary Esu and the Universe. Shot across Nigeria, the images capture moments of daily life where Yoruba traditions, Catholicism, Islam, and modernity coexist and collide. From street corners where offerings to orixás sit beside mosque walls, to roadside shrines tucked between churches and markets, these photographs offer a glimpse into a world where faiths blend seamlessly into the fabric of everyday life. What might seem curious or unexpected to Western eyes is simply reality in a place where the sacred and the ordinary are one and the same.

ABSOLUT DRINKS

Client: Absolut Vodka

Agency: TBWA NY

(Website + OOH)

Role: Creative Director

A bold campaign for Absolut Vodka, shot by Ellen von Unwerth and starring Zooey Deschanel and Kate Beckinsale. At its core were six print ads — each one built around a distinct cocktail-inspired world, brought to life through striking art direction and rich character storytelling. Deschanel and Beckinsale each embodied unique personas, turning every image into a cinematic moment.

HEINEKEN GLOBAL

Client: Heineken

Agency: Publicis NY

(Website)

Role: Creative Director

Heineken.com was developed to host original content tailored specifically for the U.S. market. The challenge was to create engaging, standout experiences within Heineken’s global CMS — while differentiating it from other localized versions. These are some of the original concepts for an immersive, scroll-driven site that blends video, photography, and HTML animation into a seamless digital journey. The site is continuously updated with fresh content and is live at Heineken.com

Film Director +
Creative Director

⌖Los Angeles, CA
@thiagozanato