Private Project

ATROCIOUS

Led by a dark figure, the men with bandaged faces torment what little Deo has left, and seem to offer him what he didn’t even know he was searching for: answers.

  • Nicolás Sánchez Márquez
    Director
    None
  • Nicolás Sánchez Márquez
    Writer
    None
  • María del Carmen Marcos Rojas
    Producer
    Intercambiadas, Run Coyote Run S3, La cabeza de Joaquín Murrieta
  • Jose Camar
    Key Cast
    "Deo"
    El hombre pez, Quererlo todo, Vencer el pasado
  • Bastian Márquez
    Key Cast
    "Nameless"
    El último rey
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    ATROZ
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short
  • Genres:
    Thriller, Horror, Surrealism
  • Runtime:
    31 minutes 31 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 17, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    700,000 MXN
  • Country of Origin:
    Mexico
  • Country of Filming:
    Mexico
  • Language:
    Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    3:4
  • Film Color:
    Black & White
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Nicolás Sánchez Márquez

My name is Nicolás Sánchez Márquez. I was born on December 15, 2002, in the city of Puebla, Mexico. I was raised alongside my only brother, Sebastián by our parents, Alberto Sánchez and Edith Márquez, both musicians.

I received a traditional education up until adolescence, but from a young age, I was deeply drawn to the arts.

When I was 13, a movie changed my life: Arrival, by Denis Villeneuve. Walking out of the theater, I knew with certainty that I wanted to dedicate my life to achieving, through my own work, what that film had achieved in me.

After finishing my traditional studies, I decided to pursue a self-taught education in philosophy and filmmaking, as I had previously done with plastic arts.

Not long after I wrote the screenplay and created the storyboard for my first film, ATROCIOUS. At the age of 21 the project began to take shape. After a period of searching, we managed to put together a production team to bring this completely independent project to life.

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Director Statement

In this independent short film, I set out to explore philosophical themes that deserve attention — such as existence and its reliance on duality, with a particular focus on its negative pole; the ambiguity of attempting to comprehend "the Whole", and the inherent irrationality behind any approach to it.

And what better way to do so than through surrealism, horror and thriller inspired by artists like René Magritte, David Lynch, Stanley Kubrick, Ingmar Bergman, to say a few.

In pursuit of an uncomfortable closeness, I chose to shoot in a 4:3 aspect ratio — the best way to shoot closeups. And speaking of duality, there was no other way to create ATROCIOUS than in stark, high-contrast black and white.

Aiming for an immersive, impactful, emotional experience, I drew conscious — and likely unconscious — inspiration from some of the most influential filmmakers of all time. ATROCIOUS is, at its core, a film that seeks to reconcile philosophy, surrealism and thriller into a visceral experience — always in search for originality and creativity.