Cynthia is a filmmaker from Cuba with over seven years of experience in directing, cinematography, editing, and digital animation for live TV shows, short films, documentaries, and commercials. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Film and Media Art from Emerson College and a Bachelor's in Film, Radio and Television from the University of Arts in Havana, Cuba.

Ms. Cazanas Garin is currently a tenure-track Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado in Denver, where she teaches Scriptwriting, Directing, Cinematography and Production. She is also a member of the University of Film & Video Association since 2021.

Her filmmaking content is informed by personal and social issues such as immigration, racism, identity, and professional fulfillment. Her documentary Natural Selection (2016) raised public awareness about animal abuse and contributed to the first animal-welfare law in Cuba.

Ms. Cazanas was the Director of Photography for the animated short film La Huida (The Runaway), combining puppet animation, shadow theatre technique, and 2D animation. Ms. Cazanas and the director were among four animators selected by the British Council to participate at the Animae Caribe Film Festival in Trinidad and Tobago. She attended animation and visual effects workshops facilitated by famed animators and producers Bruce Smith, Neil Riley, and Ceylan Shevket Jawara.

Her last project, The Implausible, was her Master's thesis project at Emerson College and is being submitted to film festivals. This is a short film noir that explores what it means to be a filmmaker, and questions the criteria by which we judge "good films." The film’s visual and conceptual treatment is inspired by American film noir, with the purpose of reinterpreting and giving new shape and meaning to the mainstream conventions of the genre.