My work has screened at over 150 domestic and international film festivals and 30+ American Universities
My name is William D. Caballero, and I tell big stories using small figures.
BIO
William in his studio, during his artist residency at McColl Center (2021)
William D. Caballero is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker, writer, Guggenheim Fellow, and Creative Capital Awardee.. Born in Coney Island, New York and raised in North Carolina, Caballero obtained the Bill Gates Millennium Scholarship in 2001, and returned to New York City where he graduated from Pratt Institute (BFA Digital Art, 2006, Minor in Art History ) and New York University (MA The Arts and Humanities in Education, 2008), graduating Magna Cum Laude and Cum Laude, respectively.
Caballero's directorial debut came in the form of a feature length autobiographical documentary entitled AMERICAN DREAMS DEFERRED, which focused on the diverse health, financial, and social difficulties facing his Puerto Rican-American family. This cinema-verité film was selected for the NALIP (National Association of Latino Independent Producers) Latino Producers Academy, eventually receiving the first annual HBO-NALIP Documentary grant. Five years after its conception, it went on to have a national television premiere on PBS on December, 2012. Post-premiere, he has screened the documentary at over 40 American universities.
I In 2012, he completed SEED STORY, a macro short film featuring a cast of hundreds of one-inch tall plastic hand-painted figures, which debuted the following year at the Slamdance Film Festival, and later became a Vimeo Staff Pick. In 2013, Caballero was selected for the Aljira Emerge program (in partnership with Creative Capital), a strategic career management and exhibition platform for emerging artists. Later that year, he gave two keynote speeches at the annual Bill Gates Leadership Conferences in Washington, DC and San Jose, CA as an ‘alumni guest-of-honor.'
Caballero’s next accomplishment was GRAN’PA KNOWS BEST, a web-series featuring 3D printed miniatures of his Puerto Rican Grandfather. The series was later licensed by HBO for two seasons, and culminated in a short film entitled VICTOR AND ISOLINA, which premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. In January 2017, Caballero released STORYBORED USA, a web-series aimed at empowering diverse young people to tell their stories through creative arts and media. The show features 3D printed miniatures of Caballero as the show's host, and was funded by Latino Public Broadcasting. Also in November 2017, Caballero was chosen as one of ten filmmakers for the SUNDANCE NEW VOICES LAB, held in Los Angeles, California.
From 2020 -2021, Caballero received funding from Latino Public Broadcasting to create CHILLY AND MILLY, an animated short film about his Puerto Rican parents, that premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, and won the Jury Award at the PBS Short Film Festival. The short film is currently under consideration for an Academy Award.
William received a 2018 Guggenheim Fellowship. It was his first time applying for this prestigious grant.
In addition, in December 2021, William received the 2021 Creative Capital Award.
I strive to create unique work employing my self-made mantra, "THE THREEE". Hence, each of my projects must contain at least 2 of the following "E's":
EMPOWER: to inspire the viewer to become aware of their precious and individual talents, to remind us that we all have important stories to share, and to lend a voice to those who have none.
ENLIGHTEN: to forcibly wake up humanity from the spell of mindless materialism, to break our addictions to outdated ideologies of control, and to remind us that while we are all the same, we are all truly unique and beautiful.
EXPRESS: to pursue projects that are colossal undertakings that challenge me to look deep into what I can create and to give it my all, because only then, can I lose myself inside my own hidden potential.
AWARDS AND GRANTS
William D. Caballero being interviewed by Gina Rodriguez (star of JANE THE VIRGIN) for Nuvo TV's Emerging Latino Filmmaker's Showcase.
2022 PBS SHORT FILM FESTIVAL - JURY AWARD
2022 ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL - BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
2022 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL
2022 LALIFF INCLUSION FELLOW
2021 CREATIVE CAPITAL AWARDEE
2018 GUGGENHEIM FELLOWSHIP
2017 ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL: Best Short Documentary
2017 NEWARK INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL: Audience Choice Award
2017 ANN ARBOR FILM FESTIVAL: JURY AWARD
2016 SILVER and BRONZE TELLY AWARD
2015 LATINO PUBLIC BROADCASTING - New Media Grant
2014 NALIP AMERICAN GRAD Digital Video Project Grant Recipient (provided through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting)
2014 NALAC (Nat’l Association of Latino Arts & Culture) Grantee
2014 ART OF BROOKLYN FILM FESTIVAL: WINNER (Best Animation)
2014 CHAIN NYC FILM FESTIVAL: WINNER (Best Documentary Super Short)
2013 ART OF BROOKLYN FILM FESTIVAL: WINNER (Vanguard Award, for Best Experimental film)
2013 VISIONFEST: WINNER (Best Sound Design)
2013 AlJIRA EMERGE participant
2012 NALAC (Nat’l Association of Latino Arts & Culture) Grantee
2011 PUFFIN FOUNDATION Grantee
2011 JT3 FOUNDATION (Creative Vision Grant)
2010 APOLLO THEATER Salon Series (Commissioned artist)
2010 HBO-NALIP DOCUMENTARY FUND (grantee)
2008 LATINO PRODUCERS ACADEMY
2007 MTV MOVIE AWARD NOMINATION (2 of 2)
2006 MTV MOVIE AWARD NOMINATION (1 of 2)
FILM FESTIVALS, TELEVISION, & GALLERY SCREENINGS
2018 LOS ANGELES LATINO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
2018 METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART (DOCUMENTARY FORTNIGHT)
2017 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL
2017 AFI FEST
2017 LA FILM FESTIVAL
2014 NUVO POINT-OF-VIEW EMERGING LATINO FILMMAKER'S SHOWCASE
2014 BROOKLYN MUSEUM ARTIST'S TALK
2014 NEW YORK INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
2014 ALJIRA CONTEMPORARY ART GALLERY
2014 GOLDEN DOOR INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
2014 ART OF BROOKLYN FILM FESTIVAL
2014 SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
2014 ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL
2014 CHAIN NYC FILM FESTIVAL
2014 QUEENS WORLD INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
2014 UPWORTHY (featured)
2013 VIMEO STAFF PICK (featured)
2013 VISIONFEST
2013 KAHBANG FILM FESTIVAL
2013 GUANAJUATO FILM FESTIVAL
2013 SLAMDANCE FILM FESTIVAL
2013 RXSM FILM EXPO
2013 ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL
2013 ART OF BROOKLYN FILM FESTIVAL
2013 PHILADELPHIA INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
2012 INTERNATIONAL PUERTO RICAN HERITAGE FILM FESTIVAL
2011 PUERTO RICO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL AT VIEQUES
2010 NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL LATINO FILM FESTIVAL
2007 LINCOLN CENTER
2007 BIG MUDDY FILM FESTIVAL
2006 SIGGRAPH
EDUCATION
Caballero is a recipient of the prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship (2001)
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
MASTER OF ARTS, THE ARTS & HUMANITIES IN EDUCATION 2008
PRATT INSTITUTE
BACHELORS OF FINE ARTS, DIGITAL ART 2006
MINOR IN ART HISTORY