David Victori is an acclaimed Spanish director and screenwriter who has made a significant impact on both international and Spanish cinema. His rise to prominence began when he won YouTube's first international film festival in 2012, which led to a collaboration with Ridley Scott and Michael Fassbender on the short film "Zero" (2015). This pivotal moment set the stage for a career marked by innovative storytelling and visually compelling work.

Victori's feature film debut, The Pact (2018), produced by Sony Pictures, solidified his reputation, but it was his second film, Cross the Line (2020), that truly captured critical attention, earning multiple nominations at the Goya Awards and winning Best Actor for Mario Casas. More recently, Victori directed the Netflix hit series Sky Rojo, produced by the creators of Money Heist.

In 2023, Victori premiered You Would Do It Too, a thriller series he created, wrote, directed, and produced, in collaboration with Legendary Pictures and Espotlight Media for Disney+. His ability to craft edge-of-your-seat narratives while exploring deep human emotions has garnered him recognition as one of the most promising directors of his generation​

David Victori: A Visionary Director Shaping the Future of Film

Q: What has been one of your favorite projects you worked on so far and why?
A: I love and learn a lot from every project, but the one that truly changed my life has been No Matarás (Cross the Line), my second feature film. It transformed my life in a way I didn’t expect. For years, meditation and spiritual teachings have been a significant part of my personal journey, but I had never considered bringing those practices into my work as a director.

With No Matarás, I found myself naturally integrating meditation techniques into my work with the actors. It was something that just happened organically—drawing from the things I had learned in retreats and through spiritual teachers. Using these techniques on set turned out to be an incredible experience for everyone involved. It helped the actors connect deeply with their characters, and the entire process felt more aligned, more in tune.

That project marked a turning point for me. It showed me that my personal life and professional life could merge in a meaningful way, and since then, I’ve been exploring how to bring that mindful approach to more of my work. In that sense, No Matarás really did change everything for me.

Q: You’ve mentioned that you begin each day of filming with meditation. How has starting your day this way impacted the work ethic on set or the performances from your actors?

A: I think we are going through a really difficult moment in life, meaning for us, it's really difficult to deeply focus. It's hard to focus on what is happening, what you are doing because we have so many distractions pulling our attention in different directions because of of our phones and digital world, that it is really difficult to be present in the moment.

When you start the day by meditating together, and all the crew and actors close their eyes and follow a guided meditation, it creates an intimacy. Because you are not used to have your eyes closed, surrounded by people you don't really know. When shooting a movie, the crew and cast can sometimes be as many as 120 people— and by meditating together, it creates a bond.

For the actors, this practice is especially beneficial. Acting requires vulnerability and the ability to open up emotionally. When the actors sense that the entire crew is aligned and present, it makes them feel more comfortable, supported, and free to open up their hearts and be really vulnerable in every scene. So when actors feel that everybody is on the same page, they feel more comfortable to be vulnerable.

Q: Did your experience meditating with the cast and crew on set inspire you to start offering acting workshops, and how has that practice influenced your teaching approach?
A: After my second movie, and after using all these meditation techniques with the actors, I was following my intuition. Once the film was complete, I wanted to put everything in order and see what could work better and how to responsibly use every tool. That’s why I created this workshop, where we explore these meditation techniques for creative people and actors.

It’s a beautiful experience—one of the most rewarding projects I’ve ever created. It suddenly shows how exploring life and trying to understand the meaning of our experiences can be a truly creative process. When we’re creative, we engage in an intimate and somewhat spiritual experience.

In the workshops, it’s been incredibly emotional for me; I find myself crying at some point during each session, overwhelmed with happiness and joy. It’s a gift that life has given me.

Q: What is the key takeaway you hope participants will gain from attending your workshop?
I think that mixing spiritual teachings, meditation techniques, and creative processes offers two important things. First, it helps you understand that when you’re being creative, you’re engaging in something really important.

However, as creative people, it can be complex to navigate the opinions of others, as those opinions can affect you and awaken your ego. This can lead you to stop doing things for fun and start doing things just to please others. The reality is you can't make everyone happy—some people will love your project, while others may hate it. Some may feel that your work has changed their lives, while others might completely ignore it, and that’s okay.

You have to dismiss the noise and follow your feelings. In a way, when you put a project out into the world, you’re releasing it into a group whose response you can’t predict. The real gift lies in being able to do your job and express yourself creatively.

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring actors, writers, and directors that you wish someone had shared with you when you first started out?
A: I think that for any kind of creative person, it is really important that you don't forget the reason why you're doing what you're doing. The most important thing is to stay connected to the true source of your motivation, as that’s where you find the joy in your work.

When you start thinking, 'If I do this, I will achieve this result' or 'If I do that, I will be successful' or 'If I do this, I will make money,' it can shift your focus. At some point, these thoughts infiltrate your ideas, and it becomes delicate because you risk losing sight of why you started in the first place. This can lead to worries about not being authentic or true to yourself, which is often why people lose their way.

Maybe at the beginning, your reasons for writing, acting, directing, or whatever creative endeavor you pursue can be very authentic. You must remain true to that and keep your curiosity active and aware at all times.