Martí Arbaizar is a filmmaker born in Barcelona and based in Paris. We have seen his work for brands such as Mango, Nike, FC Barcelona, Two Jeys, Carrer or Shon Mott. His style is built from atmospheric and immersive pieces, loaded with symbolism and raw, sensorial visuals. He often explores themes such as identity, desire and the strange through silence, physical presence and liminal spaces. He is represented by Agosto (Spain) and by Cadence (EU/United States).

When did you start your professional career as a director?

Four years ago. In 2021 I made the first piece with a brand. Since I was a child I have been very interested in cinema, good advertising, music videos, I was always attentive to new releases. With a video camera I did tests, filmed family and friends, did edits, showed them. Later I saw that I could dedicate myself to this as a profession. It came out in a very organic way. I actually studied an engineering degree, I already knew I liked this, but I didn’t know the sector and I didn’t know if I could dedicate myself to it. Little by little I started and through word of mouth commissions started coming.

Can you share a project especially dear to you?

There is a video, I Shut My Eyes In Order To See, a personal project that I shot in London in 2022 and that was very nice because I did it because I felt like it, I had moved there to study a master’s degree and I needed to capture everything I was experiencing. It is experimental, musical, it has interviews with people who explained how they experienced movement (actors, dancers, etc.), and I like how it turned out.

What long-term goals do you have?

I would like to make a film, to enter the world of fiction. I think it is the most complete and honest way to express ideas and a universe. I have shorter-term goals which are to make music videos for artists I admire and videos with brands I like; to create interesting, new and experimental formats, to evolve and take visual language further.

Which film from this edition would you recommend?

I would recommend The Designer is Dead. I think Miguel Adrover is a great reference of a creative radicality that we all aspire to, and this documentary reminds us how important it is to question and resist the system.