ABOUT

Adrian G de la Peña is a Mexican-born Canadian emerging Director, Editor, and Producer, with over 13 years of experience, specializing in horror and genre-related content. He is the founder of Machakiller Productions, a dynamic Canadian film and television production company dedicated to crafting captivating scripted and non-scripted content for audiences worldwide.

He participated in the 2024 Film Market Access Market Readiness Program fellowship at Marché du Film in Cannes.

Among Adrian’s projects on development are Naualli, a revenge-thriller/creature-feature rooted in the lore and mythology of the Meso-American Nahuales. This project was part of the Horror Development Lab 2022 at Blood in the Snow Film Festival.

His other projects in development include Little Fangs Horror Story, a dramedy about a a Junior High School teacher enforcing horror movies to his students to prove it’s positive impact and The Gateway, a docu series exploring the benefits of horror movies and culture.

As a director, Adrian has proven his ability to handle any genre or medium effectively, easily adapting his directing approach from scripted works to commercials and documentaries. His style is defined by a naturalistic approach, focusing on intimate human relationships and character connections. Adrian's work as an editor for broadcast advertising and documentaries not only enhances his directing point of view but also underscores his resourcefulness, adaptability, and versatility as a creative professional.

His short film T-Minus (2018) received numerous awards in Canada and the UK, earning inclusion in the anthology feature The Impact (2022).

Adrian is a member of Canada Cinema Editors, Alberta Post Production Association and Calgary society of independent Filmmakers.

If you would like to collaborate, work with Adrian or just to say hi please get in touch!


AWARDS & SELECTIONS

  • 2024 - Creatives Empowered Delegate - CMPA Prime Time
  • 2023 - Quarter Finalist, NAUALLI, Filmmatic Horror Screenplay Season 7
  • 2023 - Quarter Finalist, NAUALLI, ScreenCraft Horror Screenplay Competition
  • 2022 - Horror Development Lab Participant, NAUALLI, Blood in the Snow Film Festival.
  • 2022 - Paradise Motel - High Water: Best Music Video - Edmonton Short Film Festival
  • 2021 - Quarter Finalist, NAUALLI Short film, ScreenCraft Film fund
  • 2021 - T Minus: Honorable Mention - Deep Focus Film Festival
  • 2020 - T Minus: Runner Up Edmonton Film Prize
  • 2019 - T Minus: Best Short Narrative - FAVA Fest
  • 2019 - T Minus: Best Drama - Edmonton Short Film Festival
  • 2018 - T Minus: Maximum impact award - London Screenwriters Festival

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