Gabriel Beristain

Gabriel Beristain was born in Mexico into a theatrical dynasty.

He worked as documentary cameraman throughout Europe, covering sensitive political, social, and ecological issues. At the NFTS in England, he shot Jenny Wilkes’ Academy Award Winner for Best Foreign Student Film, “Mother’s Wedding.”

Having settled in England, The Berlin Film Festival honored him in 1987 with a Special Silver Bear ‘for outstanding single achievement’ in cinematography and Visual Style for Derek Jarman’s “Caravaggio”.

In the US we worked in cult classics like ‘Blood In, Blood Out’ and ‘Dolores Claiborne’. DoP credits amount to over 50 motion pictures and a hundred commercials and music videos, including the classic Aerosmith videos. He re-energized the filmography of David Mamet (The Spanish Prisoner) and Guillermo Del Toro (Blade 2), and broke new ground in films like ‘S.W.A.T’, ‘The Ring 2’ and ‘Blade Trinity’. He Helped to launch the successful career of David Ayer with “Street Kings’

He shot substantial additional photography for the 3 installments of Iron Man and Thor 2, and the successful “Guardians of the Galaxy” and most recently a lengthy additional photography for WB/DC “Suicide Squad”,

On Television, he shot the pilot for “Hawaii 5-0 “and 2 seasons of “MAGIC CITY” The beautiful STARZ series with its celebrated visual style. He shot 4 episodes for the series “Strain” produced by Del Toro and the First Season of the acclaimed Marvel’s own TV show “Agent Carter”. And most the CBS remake of the classic “MacGyver” where he has got his debut as a TV director with episode 207.

As a producer-director he’s developing several projects, including “The House of Abraham Phillips” (www.lanfilmproject) to be shot in Wales; “El Imperio de la Habana” based on the book “La Vida Intima de Meyer Lansky” by Cuban author Enrique Cirules to be shot entirely in Cuba and “Tina” based on the life of Tina Modotti currently in development.

He is cutting his teeth as a full fleshed producer with Havana Kyrie, by Paolo Consorti with the iconic actor Franco Nero. Shot in Italy and Cuba.

Gabriel is a member of AMPAS, since 1997 and member of BSC, ASC, and DGA.

Demo Reel

Blade II - Trailer

The Ring 2 - Trailer

Black Widow - Final Trailer

Caravaggio

Hawaii Five-0's - Ho'okahi no la o ka malihini

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy - Trailer 1

McGyver in Cuba - Behind the Scenes

Black Widow Trailer

Projects involving Gabriel Beristain

Havana Kyrie

An aging, down-on-his-luck Italian conductor reluctantly travels back to Havana, Cuba, to oversee performances of compositions in which he specializes. His concerns seem well-founded when his trip starts off on the wrong foot and he is quickly met by the son he never knew he fathered years ago, but his past eventually adds new purpose and meaning to his present. This is a heart-warming, nostalgic tale of a quirky old man rediscovering the “spice of life” once again.

Empire of Havana

In 1950s Havana, a young Cuban street thug and a fiery university student get pulled into the orbit of Mob financier Meyer Lansky as he attempts to carve out an empire of gambling drugs and prostitution as the winds of revolution gather around them...

The Foam of Days

Four lifelong friends, their friendship stressed to breaking point endures by tragedy...

To Have Not

To Have Not is set during Ernest Hemingway’s controversial last years of life. What could have driven the world renowned writer to take his own life, when his fame and reputation should only have been a cause for celebration?

Fidel Up Close

There is probably no other protagonist of the 20th century who has been as much talked about and as studied as Fidel Castro. Fidel Up Close is a meticulously crafted documentary film said to be "the definitive documentary on Fidel Castro' by the few who've seen it in preview.