First Feature, First Premiere

Last March marked a turning point in my career: the world premiere of my first feature film as editor.

Directed by my long-time collaborator and friend Tadeo Pestaña Caro — also making his directorial feature debut — the film premiered as part of the Bodies strand at the 39th BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival, the biggest queer film festival in Europe.

The editing process was as unique as the project itself. Built over four years and more than 40 shoot days, the film evolved continuously. It never had a fixed script — it kept shifting, adapting, and growing as new paths emerged. Tadeo and I shaped scenes side by side, questioning structure, rhythm, and tone. It was less about locking a story and more about staying open — to intuition, to detours, and to the emotional truth that kept surfacing from the material.

From the early stages of development to the final export, editing was a fully collaborative process. The challenge was not just narrative — it was also about structure, intuition, and applying a personal sensitivity to shape something emotionally coherent and alive. Organizing the vast amount of material became key in finding clarity, rhythm, and meaning.

Tadeo and I shaped scenes side by side, questioning structure, rhythm, and tone. It was less about locking a story and more about staying open. We worked with our team through multiple rounds of screening tests, using feedback not just to polish, but to really listen: to how the film landed, where it lagged, what it whispered when we gave it silence.

In a project with no hard blueprint, collaboration became the compass.

This premiere wasn’t just the first screening of a film — it was the closing of a long chapter and the beginning of many more.