Damián García

Biography

Damián García is a Mexican cinematographer born in Mexico City in 1979. He grew up surrounded by filmmaking—his father and uncle worked in the industry—and decided early in life to pursue cinematography. He studied at the Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica (CCC) in Mexico. He later specialised in direction of photography at the ESCAC in Barcelona. García's filmography includes several acclaimed works. With Güeros (2014), directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios, he captured the film's spontaneous, youthful spirit in striking black-and-white images, earning the Silver Ariel for Best Cinematography and the Tribeca Film Festival Jury Award for Best Cinematography. His work on I'm No Longer Here (2019), directed by Fernando Frías de la Parra, earned him another Silver Ariel, recognised for its textured, colour-rich portrayal of Monterrey's countercultural movement. He also shot Desierto (2015), directed by Jonás Cuarón, Museo (2018), Sr. Pig (2016), The Precocious and Brief Life of Sabina Rivas (2012), Pastorela (2011), Chicogrande (2010), Hell (2010), and Más que a nada en el mundo (2006), all of which earned him Ariel Award nominations. His television work includes the series Andor (2022), for which he received a Primetime Emmy nomination for the episode "Rix Road." In interviews, García has described his style as one that avoids imposing a fixed signature. Instead, he adapts his visual language to the emotional and thematic needs of each project, often favouring natural light and an unobtrusive camera. An example of this approach can be seen in Sr. Pig (2016), where he relied mainly on available light, even in confined scenes such as sequences shot inside a minivan. His collaborative philosophy emphasises supporting the director's vision rather than foregrounding his own. García's work has been widely recognised. His awards and nominations include Silver Ariel wins for Güeros (2014) and I'm No Longer Here (2019), and nominations for I Don't Expect Anyone to Believe Me (2023), Museo (2018), Desierto (2015), Sr. Pig (2016), The Precocious and Brief Life of Sabina Rivas (2012), Pastorela (2011), Chicogrande (2010), Hell (2010), and Más que a nada en el mundo (2006). He won Best Cinematography for Chicogrande (2010) at the Havana Film Festival, received Silver Goddess nominations from the Mexican Cinema Journalists for Desierto (2015) and The Precocious and Brief Life of Sabina Rivas (2012), earned a Premio Fénix nomination for Museo (2018), and received a LEJA nomination for I'm No Longer Here (2019).