Gabriel Ordoñez Sees Cinema As Humanity
Gabriel Ordonez
In this profile series, Revry is highlighting authentic contributors to the LGBTQ media and entertainment community. We ask questions to find out who they are and where they are going in the future. The questions remain the same but the answers tell their unique story. It’s time to explore and celebrate true representation beyond the limits of Hollywood.
Gabriel Ordoñez is a writer, director, editor and producer born in Venezuela. Both of his parents are artists dedicated to theater, which led him to develop an interest in acting and creative writing. He wrote several short stories published in local newspapers and took part in many of the stage productions of his parents. In 2006 he began his studies in filmmaking at the University of los Andes in Mérida, Venezuela. Later, he developed interest in editing and worked as a post-production coordinator for Rober Calzadilla’s EL AMPARO, and became part of the creators of the Venezuelan web show: Trópico del Chance; which was the winner of the audience award during the sixth edition of the Venezuelan diversity film festival. During that same year, he was granted by the National Center of Cinematography of Venezuela for writing the script for AGAMEMNON. His short story CALIFORNIA VALLEY was published in the IX edition of the Metropolitan Polyclinic Short Story Award for Young Authors. In 2017, he wrote, directed, produced and edited PANGEA, a story about a broken friendship. The film premiered in Roze Filmdagen and was nominated for Best Short Film in that same year’s edition of Pink Apple Film Festival. and gained dozens of official selections in film festivals worldwide. He also was the editor of DIVE, Special Jury Mention in Student Visionary Award at Tribeca Film Festival, and later that year, winner of Best Short Film at Pink Apple Film Festival. PANGEA won Best Original Music and Best Actor at the Manuel Trujillo Durán Short Film Festival in Venezuela.
What are you best known for?
Everyone says that I’m intense and I’m okay with it. I love to live my feelings, I love to live experiences, to connect everyday with other people and have the opportunity to create new worlds. My passion to tell stories is always there, constantly questioning our own ways of existence. I'm a believer in cinema as the ultimate proof of our humanity during this specific moment in time and space.
What is the first thing you ever worked on?
In my hometown, there is a record in a newspaper of me writing a short story about a bird that made absolutely no sense at the age of two, but it gave a very forward idea of what I'd be doing for the rest of my years living, telling stories in any possible way. When I was a teenager I participated in drama competitions for my school and made occasional appearances in some of my parents' theatrical productions. Then I started to make short films, influenced by the amount of movies I used to watch with my parents. Today, I’m still challenging my own ways to see the world and make my stories a taste of some kind of humanity.
What are you working on that no one knows about yet?
So many things. I want to give something back to the world, to my own community, to my roots, to what I am, and to reflect on life.I want to continue building representation in screens and media. It will always be important and necessary, and I want to join the stories I tell to that voice. I’m currently writing scripts, editing videos, and walking my dog every day.