At the age of 15, he knew he wanted to be a filmmaker. Sitting in the seats of the Barranco Cinematograph, he had no doubts. On screen, Pietro Sibille played the deranged Santiago Román in Días de Santiago (2004). "That movie marked me a lot," says Mariano Carranza. His thing would be to carry a camera on his shoulder all his life.

Twelve years ago he moved to the United States to study Film and Television at New York University (NYU). Today he is part of Great Big Story, a division of the CNN network that specializes in short digital documentaries. Inspiring characters such as Ángela Ponce, transgender Miss Spain; the 'cholitas', Bolivian climbers with Andean roots, and Cassandro El Exótico, an openly gay Mexican wrestler.

“The people and scenarios that I record are the protagonists. Finally, the documentary is a master key that gives you access to the lives of interesting strangers”, says the audiovisual producer, who has also worked on Vice.

"I feel totally passionate behind a camera," he adds. In 2018, he was nominated for an Emmy for his work on the series The Great Big Show, where he served as director and producer of several pieces.

Mariano's cinematographic spirit never rests. Even in his spare time, he devours documentaries. For Sama, The edge of democracy and Diego Maradona (HBO) are the latest works that have caught his attention. "We are in the golden age of non-fiction cinema," he maintains. His next goal is to create longer documentaries that can reach cinemas around the world.