MARIANO DONGO
Graduate Film has selected MFA Candidate Mariano Dongo as this year's recipient for the Robert Oberman, Gregory Pickert, and Media Services Producing Award. The honor, which is selected by producing faculty, is given to a Graduate Film candidate in the third year of the program for outstanding producing work over their course of studies.
Born and raised in Lima, Peru, Mariano is a filmmaker currently based in Brooklyn, NY. Since joining NYU, he has written and directed 4 short films, and produced a number of projects in & out of the program, such as In Freedom, Dir. Jorge Sistos, Don’t Fall Asleep, Dir. Ella Gibney, It’s Not About The Hat, Dir. MC Harvey, Burn, Dir. José Manuel Velez, When Everything Burns, Dir. Belu Poncio among others. He is currently in post-production with LUMP, his feature debut as a producer, directed by Alexandre Rockwell. Before NYU, Mariano worked as a documentary filmmaker and was a development intern at Darren Aronofsky’s Protozoa Pictures. He holds a BA from Emerson College, where he studied Media Studies and Philosophy.
"Early on the project suffered some financing difficulties and we had to reduce the budget by 40%” said MFA Candidate José Manuel Velez. “Mariano came up with creative solutions and just plain good resource management that allowed me to maintain my vision for the film, compromising as little as possible”. Tebogo Malebogo, a 3rd year MFA Candidate said: “Mariano offered crucial insight into the casting, crewing, and logistical elements of production. I commend his ability to ascertain when to remain steadfast in the creative vision of the project, and when certain choices were hindering our ability to complete the show”. “Mariano has a way of making everyone feel valued and included, and he fosters a sense of camaraderie among his crew. He firmly believes in the reach and potential of the projects he signs onto”.
Congratulations Mariano!