Bruno Lazaro is a critically acclaimed Spanish-Canadian filmmaker, born in Madrid, Spain, based in Montreal, Canada. His work often explores themes of cultural duality. The narrative structure of his films tends towards non-linear, dream-like storytelling, where an impressionist portrayal of character and action build unusual, emotionally charged landscapes.

He completed his film studies at the Centre for the Arts, Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, where he began making short fiction, documentary and experimental films as an independent writer and director. Most notable among his first films are HATE TO LOVE (1982) awarded at the Chicago International Film Festival and invited to the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes, and SWINGSPAN which was awarded and screened at festivals throughout the USA and Europe.

Bruno Lazaro made his debut feature film THE TRAVELLER in Vancouver. This film was screened at festivals worldwide including the Toronto International Film Festival and the Festival international du nouveau cinema in Montreal. The film was invited to the prestigious presentation of Canadian Cinema at the Georges Pompidou Centre in Paris, France.

His second film, made in Toronto, was the sci-fi cult film CITY OF DARK. It was awarded “most innovative film language” at Figueira da Foz, Portugal and invited internationally to festivals including the Toronto International Film Festival, the International Film Festival Manhattan, the Gotham Film and Media Institute screening in New York, and L’Alternativa festival de cinema independent in Barcelona, Spain. This film was remastered digitally and re-released in 2020.

While attending L’Alternativa festival in Barcelona, he finished the script for a new film and began shooting scenes at the festival for what would become the highly successful, ultra low-budget, third feature IT’S FOR YOU! The film was later completed in Toronto and went on to screen widely at festivals including the Festival Internacional de Donostia-San Sebastián (Spain) and the São Paulo International Film Festival (Brazil). It was invited to Instituto Cervantes screenings in New York, Cairo, Moscow and Athens, and awarded the Grand prix at both the Biennale du cinema in Annecy and (ex-aequo) at the Festival international du cinéma nouvelle generation in Lyon (France).

In 2024 he completed an experimental fiction-documentary feature film THERE ARE NO OUTDOOR ICE RINKS IN MADRID which was a decade-long work-in-progress that was shown at various stages of editing at the DOXA Documentary Film Festival in Vancouver, the Festival Dífferent 4! L’autre cinéma espagnol in Paris, and the Festival de Cine de Ronda: Cine Político para el siglo XXI where it received a Special Mention award.

Bruno Lazaro has taught filmmaking at film schools and universities including at the Universidad de Carlos III, the Universidad de Alcala de Henares (Spain), the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Simon Fraser University Centre for the Arts, and Emily Carr College of Art and Design (Canada).

He has been a guest programmer and jury member at international film festivals as well as a contributor to the film program at the National Museum Reina Sofia and the Fimoteca Española in Madrid, where he also founded and directed the Festival of Canadian Cinema.