Sara Escobar (Mexico, 1984) is a documentary photographer and filmmaker focusing on identity, social justice and fights against violence. For her, images are the opportunity to discover other realities, but also a mirror to understand herself.
Through her collaborative workshop Tortugas al Viento, she has published stories in AJ+, National Geographic, MSNBC, Mitú, Business Insider, Xinhua, RNW and others, and worked for NGO’s such as UN, Metropolitan group, Greenpeace and GIZ.
She was a VII Fellow in 2022, and she is part of Foto Feminas and Women Photographers.
Her first documentary film "To enlist" was recognized with the Jose Rovirosa Student Award in 2014 and the Young Collective Medium Length Award at Santiago Alvarez in Memoriam Festival (Cuba) in 2015. She got the Covid-19 Grant from the National Geographic Foundation for starting her Pandemic Babis project.
Her photographic work has been collectively exhibited in different parts of the world: 2019. Mexico City. Desde nosotras, 2017. EUA. Enamorados de la Mujer Barbuda. Ciudad de México. Fotografía Contemporánea, 2016. Chile. Sin título, ca. Programa cultural Tierra Adentro, 2015. México. Todo por ver, 2010-2011. México. La ciudad y sus quinceañeras.
Next to Pablo Ramos, she produced an interactive long-term project about Palo Alto cooperative and its resistance against real estate harassment in Mexico City: Aquí amanece más tarde (Dawn arrives later here). They won the National Creation System Co-Investment Grant 2023.
EDUCATION & TRAINING
-2023. VII ACADEMY. Level 3 One-month Residence in Arles, France.
-2023. RIA First Certification as Self-defense Instructor.
-2023. RIA. Re-thinking trauma. Practices for sensitive attention to trauma Workshop with Magdalena Diaz.
-2022. Silkroad Training. Virtual Hostile Environment Refresher for Media.
-2018. El Salvador. El Faro. Documentary Workshop with Joao Moreira Salles.
-2017. México. Centro de la Imagen. Seminario de Fotografía Latinoamericana. With Alejandro Castellanos.
-2014. Mexico. RNW-NOOR. Academy Masterclass with Jon Lowenstein and Sebastian Liste.
-2013. Mexico. Centro de la Imagen. Contemporary Photography Seminar.
-2011-2013. Mexico. Postgraduate School of Arts and Design. UNAM. Master in Documentary Cinematography. First graduate of the program.
-2012. Mexico. Expofotoperiodismo. Workshop with Christopher Morris.
-2011. Mexico. Expofotoperiodismo. Workshop with Keith Dannemiller.
-2010. Mexico. Expofotoperiodismo: Associated Press Agency. Workshop with Enric Martí, Emilio Morenatti and Darío López Mills.
-2010. Mexico. Gimnasio del Arte. Lighting workshop with Eniac Martínez.
-2009. Mexico. Centro Universitario de Estudios Cinematográficos, UNAM. Script workshop with Patricio Saiz.
-2007. Mexico. Cinefilias. Cinematography workshop with Mario Luna.
-2007. Cuba. Instituto Internacional de Periodismo José Martí. International Photojournalism Workshop.
-2002-2006. Mexico. Facultad de Ciencias Políticas y Sociales. UNAM. Communication sciences Degree. Journalism Specialization.
RECOGNITION & AWARDS
-2023. Co-investment grant Culture Ministry of Mexico for “Dawn arrives later here” multimedia project. With Pablo Ramos, throughTortugas al Viento collective.
-2023. Selected for the Annual New York Times Portfolio Review. New York, EUA.
-2023. The Journal collective member.
-2022. VII Academy Fellow
-2022. Foto Feminas Reviewer at the First Portfolio Review.
-2022. Bronx Documentary Center. “Causar Alta”Official Selection Latin American Foto Festival in collaboration with Foto-Feminas
-2022. Member of Diversify Photo Up Next
-2021. Leica Oscar Barnack Award Nominee
-2020. Member of Women Photograph
-2019. Member of Foto Féminas platform
-2021. National Geographic Covid-19 Emergency Fund, with Pandemic Babies Project.
-2020. Selected for Women Photographers Workshop 2020.
-2015. Selected for the Annual New York Times Portfolio Review. New York, EUA.
-2015. Best Medium length film made by a documentary collective Award. Causar Alta (To enlist). Festival Internacional de Cine Documental Santiago Álvarez in Memoriam. Santiago de Cuba, Cuba.
-2014. Best Student documentary Award José Rovirosa. Causar Alta (To enlist). Mexico City, Mexico.
PHOTO EXHIBITIONS
-2019. Mexico. Desde nosotras. Collective Exhibition. Mexico City.
-2017. EUA. Enamorados de la Mujer Barbuda. Ciudad de México. Fotografía Contemporánea. Collective Exhibition. Los Ángeles, California.
-2017. Mexico. PICS. Plataforma de Imágenes Contemporáneas. Digital Platform of Centro de la Imagen.
-2016. Chile. Sin título, ca. Programa cultural Tierra Adentro. Collective exhibition. 36ª Feria Internacional del Libro de Santiago, Santiago de Chile.
-2015. Mexico. Todo por ver. Collective exhibition. The inaugural exhibition of Foto Museo Cuatro Caminos. Mexico City.
-2014. Mexico. Movimientos Sociales en México. Collective Exhibition. Facultad de Ciencias Políticas y Sociales, Ciudad Universitaria.
-2013. Spain. Focus on Women. Collective exhibition. Madrid.
-2010-2011. Mexico. La ciudad y sus quinceañeras. Collective exhibition. Mexico City: El Sub – Galería Arte Joven, Club Fotográfico de México y Galería Héctor García.
MOVIES
-Direction in Como el Cristal. Currently at postproduction. Tortugas al Viento’s independent film.
-Camera woman for the experimental short film The Absence of things. Dir Mariona Loreta. USA, 2020.
-Second camera for interview for The advocate and Broll shooting in Mexico for La familia documentary films. Jon Lowenstein. USA. 2020.
-Camera woman in Rebeldía. Dir. Pablo Ramos. Mexico, Colectivo Dospasosabajo-UNAM. 2019.
-Direction and DoP in Todo menos una línea recta. Mexico, Colectivo Dospasosabajo, 2016.
-Co-direction, production and DoP in Guerrero: Memoria y Verdad. Mexico, Comisión de la Verdad del Estado de Guerrero y Canal 6 de julio, 2015.
-Direction, script and DoP in Causar Alta. Mexico, Colectivo Dospasosabajo-UNAM, 2014.
-Edition and production in Toc toc toc, cineminuto sobre la ceguera infantil. Dir. Pablo Ramos. Mexico, CUEC, 2013.
-Edition in Órdenes estéticos. Dir. Pablo Ramos. México, CUEC, 2013.
-Camera woman in Casi siempre en Domingo. Dir. Carlos Mendoza. México, Canal 6 de julio, 2012.
-Camera woman in Ernesto Zedillo: El genocida invisible. Dir. Alfonso Virués. México, Canal 6 de julio, 2009.
-Camera woman in La ley del ISSSTE. Dir. Mario Viveros. México, Canal 6 de julio, 2007.
-Edition assistant in Los Dueños de la Democracia (re-edición) Dir. Carlos Mendoza. México, Canal 6 de julio, 2007.
-Camera woman in Teletiranía. Dir. Carlos Mendoza. México, Canal 6 de julio, 2005.
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
-2024. UNAM, FCPyS. Communication Sciences Degree: Aesthetic and Narrative Analysis of audiovisual projects & Movement Images ll teacher.
-2024. SAE Institute. Digital Cinematography Degree: Documentary production & Documentary projects teacher.
-2021-2024. PROCINE. Film directing workshop teacher as part of the Fideicomiso para la Promoción y Desarrollo del Cine Mexicano en la CDMX.
-2020-2021. Pohualizcalli. Pre-production, documentary history and film directing workshops.
-2013. UNAM. ENAC: Master in Documentary Cinematography: Analysis of the documentary discourse evolution teacher.