Angel Soto(IX)
- Director
- Writer
- Cinematographer
Ángel Soto is an Aruban filmmaker, producer, director, editor, and cinematographer whose career spans more than three decades in television and cinema. He began working in the audiovisual field in 1994, gaining experience across multiple departments in Aruban television.
Between the 1990s and 2000s, Soto worked with major local broadcasters including ATV, Caribbean Satellite System, and Telearuba, where he served as presenter, producer, editor, and cameraman. During this period, he created and contributed to a wide range of programming such as Mecca (1997), Oxígeno (1999), Sport (2007), as well as religious, sports, and news programs. He later worked as a producer with Soto Productions and Lumière Films.
Over the years, his technical background evolved alongside broadcast technology, transitioning from U-Matic and Betacam to DV and digital cinema formats. In 2020, he shifted his focus toward narrative filmmaking, directing his first short film during the global pandemic, followed by the dystopian short The Last Survivor (2020).
In 2021, Soto directed the home-invasion thriller Lockdown. In 2022, he completed his first English-language feature film, Blackout, inspired by the historical German submarine attack on Aruba during World War II. The film marked a significant step in bringing Aruban history to international audiences.
His later works include the short film El Capitán Al (2023), the mystery thriller The Search (2024), and the feature film Tierras Calientes (2024), which addresses the subject of human trafficking. In 2025, he directed The Rich Pirate, based on an Aruban legend, and Semillas de Cambio, a socially driven short film centered on children seeking to change their world.
Alongside his filmmaking career, Soto has been involved in film education and mentoring, contributing to the development of new audiovisual talent while continuing to develop projects focused on historical memory, social themes, and cinematic suspense.
Between the 1990s and 2000s, Soto worked with major local broadcasters including ATV, Caribbean Satellite System, and Telearuba, where he served as presenter, producer, editor, and cameraman. During this period, he created and contributed to a wide range of programming such as Mecca (1997), Oxígeno (1999), Sport (2007), as well as religious, sports, and news programs. He later worked as a producer with Soto Productions and Lumière Films.
Over the years, his technical background evolved alongside broadcast technology, transitioning from U-Matic and Betacam to DV and digital cinema formats. In 2020, he shifted his focus toward narrative filmmaking, directing his first short film during the global pandemic, followed by the dystopian short The Last Survivor (2020).
In 2021, Soto directed the home-invasion thriller Lockdown. In 2022, he completed his first English-language feature film, Blackout, inspired by the historical German submarine attack on Aruba during World War II. The film marked a significant step in bringing Aruban history to international audiences.
His later works include the short film El Capitán Al (2023), the mystery thriller The Search (2024), and the feature film Tierras Calientes (2024), which addresses the subject of human trafficking. In 2025, he directed The Rich Pirate, based on an Aruban legend, and Semillas de Cambio, a socially driven short film centered on children seeking to change their world.
Alongside his filmmaking career, Soto has been involved in film education and mentoring, contributing to the development of new audiovisual talent while continuing to develop projects focused on historical memory, social themes, and cinematic suspense.
