PERSONA.

/ pəˈsəʊ.nə /

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Persona, the cinematography duo formed by Mario Lerma and Alex Rapariz, shot the short film Xiao Xian which garnered several nominations and awards. The film was the official selection for the 2019 Camerimage Shorts Festival, and garnered best cinematography awards at the Requena y Acción Short Film Festival 2019, at the Filmsere International Short Festival, 2019, at the Ibicine Festival 2019 and at the Fugaz Awards, 2020. The pair also worked on Index (2019) and Night Owls (2018). Lerma also served as DP on the short film Shadows of Bangkok which was selected as a staff Vimeo pick.  

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 Lerma grew up in Cali, Columbia and discovered his love for cinema while working for a video store, taking movie rentals as the only payment he could accept because of his young age. Alex discovered his visual world through the images he shot while skating with his friends at Plaza Colón, Madrid, where he picked up a miniDV camera for the first time. He quit his engineering studies and went to study cinematography at EFTI International Centre for Photography and Film in Madrid, where he crossed paths with Lerma. Almost immediately, they started working together and since have shot commercials, music videos and short films, all of which highlight their meticulous eye for detail in every frame.

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Lerma and Rapariz have worked with directors Jiajie Yu Yan, Ibra Muñoz, Hector Herce, Mike Usandivaras, Ramsés Albiñana, Carneviva, Kito Muñoz, Jordi Estrada and Christopher Cartagena, and have shot commercials for big names like Netflix, Yves Saint Laurent, DKNY, Loewe, Audi, Ford, L'Oreal, Vogue and Puma. They have also filmed music videos for Guitarricadelafuente, Don Patricio and Hein.