Xacio Baño

Spanish filmmaker Xacio Baño explored senses and experience through a series of critically acclaimed short films, including "Anacos" (2012) and "To Be and Come Back." Born in Xove, a municipality in Galicia, Spain, in 1983, Baño initially intended in pursuing a career in industrial engineering, but after befriending students in his college's audiovisual department, he discovered that his true interest lay in film. After learning the technical side of using a camera, he began working as an editor before helming his first project, an informal short called "Quentefrio" ("Hotcold," 2009) Shot in his own apartment building and using his neighbor, Lucia C. Pan, as cinematographer and his own girlfriend as his lead, the film gave Baño the experience and confidence to launch his next project, "Stereoscopic" (2011). The fantasy-drama, about a man who discovers that he can view another person's life through an eye received in a transplant, "Stereoscopic" earned positive response at numerous film festivals, and led to his well-received short, "Anacos" ("Pieces," 2012), about a young man's attempt to understand his mother's life as she slips into dementia. The film earned numerous awards on the international festival circuit, including nominations from the 2013 Aspen Shortfest and 2014 Slamdance festival. Two years later, Baño returned with "To Be and Come Back" (2014), an affecting documentary short about his grandparents and his own attempt to explain his career to them. Nominated for a Golden Pardino at the 2014 Locarno Film Festival, "Come Back" led to Baño's first feature film, a thriller titled "Ana and the Future."