Rubén Navarro(VII)

Rubén Navarro, originally from Málaga, Spain, is a director, writer, and editor based in Los Angeles, CA, with over a decade of experience in the film industry. He is a 2018 Film Independent Project Involve Fellow and an alumnus of the Berggruen Institute's writing retreat, Vaster than Empires.

As a writer/director, he recently wrapped his debut feature film, Me, After You. The film, produced through his company RURU Films (dedicated to championing nuanced, international stories), is a deeply personal project about immigration, sexuality, and self-discovery, shot entirely in Los Angeles. His short films, including Of Hearts and Castles, have received international acclaim with selections at the Oscar-Qualifying Palm Springs ShortFest, Outfest LGBTQ Los Angeles, BFI Flare, and two consecutive awards at Festival de Cine de Málaga. Navarro is in development on his next features, Lifestyle and the Sci-Fi Numina.

As an editor, his high-profile credits include the Apple TV+ show Lady in the Lake (starring Natalie Portman), the feature film Sam & Kate (Additional Editor, starring Dustin Hoffman and Sissy Spacek), and the historic short film Wannabe (the first Ecuadorian film selected for the Tribeca Film Festival 2025). He has also edited for the Critics' Choice Award nominee Acapulco (AppleTV) and the SXSW-premiering digital series East of La Brea.