producer/director/editor

M. de Varona (b. 1969 in San Antonio, Texas) was guided through adolescence by counterculture films and documentaries. His admiration for graphic design and typography led to a degree in advertising. Further interest in promotional work from a broadcast design perspective led to a stint as a broadcast producer in the ad agency business before deciding to explore the world, and his place in it, by making films independently. He has shot in places such as Japan, El Salvador, Argentina, Cuba and Kenya.

In the late 90s, he co-founded Kids in Exile Films, a production company based in Miami. To date, his credits include work in over 10 documentaries and two narrative films. In 2008, de Varona launched Gordy Films with the intention of producing films from a more personal point of view. He edited Celia The Queen (2009), a Tribeca Film Festival official selection distributed on DVD through Sony International.

Currently, he is developing an Untitled Cuba Project, his first production under the Gordy Films mantra.

An accomplished editor, de Varona’s work has been seen on PBS, as well as regarded film festivals such as Tribeca, Såo Paulo International, Festival do Rio, Miami International, Barcelona In-Edit, Thessaloniki Doc Fest, Chicago Latino International, Vancouver International and Los Angeles Latino International, among others.

He currently resides in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.