We recently had the chance to connect with Gustavo Aviles and have shared our conversation below.
Good morning Gustavo, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? Are you walking a path—or wandering?
I’m not walking a path or wandering. I move forward, and the path appears.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Gustavo Aviles, a filmmaker drawn to the darker edges of storytelling. My work blends horror, myth, and surreal imagery to explore what lurks beneath memory, belief, and fear. I use film to channel imagination into something visceral: cinema that pulls you in, unsettles you, and stays long after the screen goes dark.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
As a child of the revolution, by the age of five I was surrounded by death, playing among the rubble of war, daydreaming under a dictatorship. The defining moment came when I watched my mother stand her ground against armed military men on our front porch. In that instant, I observed the power of words, the ferocity of character, and the sheer absurdity of mankind.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
I feel ready to surrender after every project, that’s how I know I’ve given everything I have. Each film takes everything out of me, and that exhaustion is proof the work mattered.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
An important truth I hold, one that few people are comfortable with, is that our tools program us more than we program them. As McLuhan said, the medium is the message, and every new medium rewires how we think, behave, and even dream. Postman warned that we’re amusing ourselves to death, and I believe we’re living that warning now: our devices brainwash us, accelerating information and behavior at a pace humanity is failing to handle. The communal, patient experience of film has been eroded, even if we don’t want to admit it: speed has already killed film and we just don’t want to accept it. We’re rushing toward the end of our time as we know it, ushering in a different age altogether for better or worse, we’ll see.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I don’t care. It won’t matter to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://gusaviles.com
- Instagram: gusaviles_filmmaker
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gusaviles
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@zombiejesusvampirehunter
- Other: https://www.amazon.com/Zombie-Jesus-Vampire-Hunter-Codices/dp/0997618248
Image Credits
1. Heri Quiles, Gustavo Aviles, “Zombie Jesus Vampire Hunter”
2. Joel Rod, Heri Quiles, Gustavo Aviles, “Zombie Jesus Vampire Hunter”
3. Gustavo Aviles, Rosemi Mederos, “Hammer”
4. Tommy, “Twilight of Dreams”
5. Gustavo Aviles, “Zombie Jesus Vampire Hunter”
