Emil Gallardo & Waterlight Films

Founded in 2018 by Emil Gallardo, Waterlight Films is recognized for evocative stories that stand out for their authenticity and willingness to confront uncomfortable truths.

Emil is an Oscar-qualifying writer-director who creates heart-stopping thrillers that are designed to elicit empathy for those without a voice.

His debut short, 1, 2, 3, ALL EYES ON ME, a 15-minute film told entirely from a teacher’s perspective during a school shooting with no depicted violence, won the Grand Prix at HollyShorts, a Jury Award at the Austin Film Festival, and qualified for the Academy Awards. It was licensed by HBO, played over 30 festivals, won 19 awards, and has been seen more than 50 million times. Its power comes from what it refuses to show.

That restraint isn’t just a stylistic choice. It’s also a value system that runs through every level of how Emil works, from the material he chooses to the way he builds trust with actors on set.

He is an alumnus of HBO’s Directing Fellowship, a NALIP Media Market fellow, a graduate of the DGA and AICP’s Commercial Directors Diversity Program, a graduate of Tyler Perry’s Dream Collective, and has shadowed on ABC’s THE ROOKIE. This year, he is a 2026 fellow in the Mexican-American Cultural Education Foundation Masters Workshop under producer Moctesuma Esparza (Selena, Gettysburg) and TV director Jesús Treviño (Prison Break, Criminal Minds), and in development on his debut feature, UNINVITED, a psychological thriller.