Vadir Sottelo is a Mexican filmmaker, cultural policy advocate, and human rights scholar whose work stands at the intersection of genre cinema, social reflection, and institutional cultural development. With a background that bridges the arts and the legal field, his career reflects a multidisciplinary commitment to storytelling, public service, and the defense of human dignity.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Audiovisual Media with a specialization in Cinematography and a Master’s degree in Marketing. In addition, he is a certified lawyer in Public Administration, Administration of Justice, and Public Faith from Universidad TEC Milenio, and earned a PhD in Human Rights from the Centro de Estudios Superiores en Ciencias Jurídicas y Criminológicas. He further strengthened his legal profile with specializations in Electoral Procedural Law and in Human and Political Rights at the Electoral Judicial School.
In 2025, he was appointed by the Ministry of Culture of the State of Jalisco, with ratification from the Executive Branch, as State Councilor of Culture and the Arts representing Film and Video for the 2025–2028 term. In this capacity, he participates in the analysis and strengthening of public cultural policy, advocating for the professionalization of audiovisual creators, the growth of the film industry, and the integration of human rights, inclusion, and territorial equity perspectives into state cultural strategies.
As a filmmaker, Sottelo has developed a distinctive voice in horror, fantasy, and suspense. His cinema merges genre aesthetics with a strong human rights perspective, transforming horror into a reflective space where themes such as violence, oppression, identity, memory, and resistance are explored. His narratives are characterized by atmospheric tension, complex characters, and a constant undercurrent of resilience. Rather than using fear as a simple shock device, he treats horror as a cultural mirror—one that reveals the anxieties, fractures, and power dynamics embedded in society.
His work has achieved official selection in more than 210 international film festivals across countries including Germany, Argentina, Canada, Colombia, the United States, Spain, Scotland, El Salvador, France, Mexico, India, Italy, and Venezuela. He has received over 50 awards and recognitions, consolidating a career with significant global projection.
Among his distinctions are Best Fiction Short Film and Best Art Direction at the Premios Latino 2016 in Marbella, Spain; Best Special Effects at the GSF Awards 2016 in Cannes, France; Best Mexican Feature Film at Espanto Film Fest in Mexico City (2023); a Special Mention for Mexican Feature Film at Macabro Film Fest (2024); Best International Short Film at the 31 Days of Wages Festival in Atlanta, USA (2025); Miglior Film Internazionale at the Lovely Bones Film Fest in Rome (2026); and Best International Film at the BUT Film Festival in the Netherlands (2025). His work has also been recognized with an Honorary Mention for Special Effects and Characterization at Festival CIM in Spain (2024). In the cultural and social sphere, he received the “Representante del Año LGBTTTIQ+ 2023” distinction at the Zombie Awards in Mexico City for his contribution to diversity and cultural visibility.
Beyond directing and producing, Sottelo has an extensive trajectory in education. He has taught workshops, masterclasses, and university-level courses in film production, art direction, 3D animation, characterization, and thesis development. He has served as General Director of the International Short Film Showcase FILMÁTICA and as one of the organizers of the first edition of Tenebra Film Fest in Guadalajara, a festival dedicated to horror, suspense, science fiction, and fantasy. He has also been invited as a jury member at genre film festivals and state-level film competitions in Mexico.
Currently, he is developing two feature-length fantasy and horror projects through Novatrice Studios, his production company, where he works as both producer and director. Alongside his artistic work, he promotes philanthropic initiatives focused on creating and reclaiming cultural spaces that highlight diversity and sexual diversity within artistic expression.
Through a body of work that blends aesthetic experimentation, genre innovation, and social consciousness, Vadir Sottelo has positioned himself as a distinctive voice in contemporary fantastic and horror cinema. His films do not merely aim to unsettle audiences; they seek to provoke reflection, challenge assumptions, and affirm the responsibility of art as a catalyst for justice, memory, and equality.
