Julio Neri

Biography: Julio Neri (Caracas, Venezuela) is a Venezuelan filmmaker, producer, and cultural promoter, best known for his key role in developing the Super-8 movement in Latin America during the 1970s. He was the founder and director of the International Festival of New Super-8 Cinema in Caracas, one of the most influential events in Venezuelan experimental film, which connected emerging filmmakers with avant-garde circuits around the world. Among his most notable works is Electofrenia (1979), a Super-8 documentary that offers a sharp and ironic portrayal of Venezuela’s 1978 presidential campaign. Premiered commercially in 1979, the film became a landmark of independent political cinema in the country for its direct and satirical look at the media and social climate of the time. Neri also directed films such as Armada (1977), Érase una vez en Venezuela (1978), and El hacedor de milagros (1982), and later worked on coproduction and digital distribution initiatives. He has served as president of Cinemania Network and has promoted the diffusion of Latin American cinema through new audiovisual platforms. His career bridges filmmaking, cultural management, and teaching, leaving a lasting mark on Venezuela’s independent and experimental film history.