We produce documentaries and series that raise awareness.
At Esperanza Project Film & TV we focus in stories that promote ancient alive cultures and sustainable options for the new world, and explore controversial topics of global interest. We have wide experience in international research, film production and impact distribution strategies on four continents (North America, South America, Africa and Europe)
We are an international interdisciplinary team, with years of combined experience across a range of disciplines.
We are an initiative of The Esperanza Project foundation, a registered public charity based in San Antonio, Texas, with a 501(c)(3) status in the US, consistent with our educational mission promoting global culture and environmental consciousness through our audiovisual creations.
Hernán Vilchez
Director and Producer
Hernán studied film in Argentina and Cuba. Specializing in urban culture and indigenous peoples around the globe, he has produced international content for various successful shows such as “The World’s Strictest Parents” (Kabel Eins/Sat1, Germany) and “Sweeping jobs” (SRF, Switzerland), serving as director for “My Religion” (History Channel, Sky Arte Italy) and “Viviendo Religiones” (Encuentro, Argentina), while writing and producing his own independent documentary projects. In May 2014 he released his first feature documentary, “Huicholes: The Last Peyote Guardians”, awarded in 12 international film festivals.
Tracy Barnett
Journalist and Producer
With 25 years of experience as a freelance journalist and editor, Tracy has written and collaborated with publications such as National Geographic Traveler, Esquire Latin America, the Washington Post, BBC, and Intercontinental Cry. She is the founding editor of The Esperanza Project magazine, a bilingual publication highlighting social change, indigenous peoples and frontline defenders across the Americas. At the end of 2014 she produced the successful promotional tour of the documentary Huicholes: The Last Peyote Guardians for 33 cities in the USA and Canada. She currently resides in Guadalajara, Mexico, where she is a freelance writer and author focusing on the environment, indigenous peoples and the current Latin American reality.
Paola Stefani
Producer and Impact Distribution
Anthropologist and communicator. At the end of the ´80s she carried out ethnographic research with native peoples of the North of Mexico. In the ´90s she ventured into multimedia production and digital narratives and since 2010she has accompanied the Wixárika people in the defense of Wirikuta, having produced and directed the distribution of the Huicholes documentary. She recently founded and coordinated the FilminLatino exhibition platform, promoted by the Mexican Institute of Cinematography (IMCINE), in 2018 was the Trust Director for the Promotion and Development of Mexican Cinema for Mexico City, and advises several film projects for exhibition.
Bani Silva
Cinephotographer
Brazilian ethnomusicologist, filmmaker and musician, who since 2001 has lived in Munich, Germany. Over the past 15 years, he has traveled around the world (Senegal, Guinea, Uganda, Tanzania, Congo, Gambia, Mali, Cape Verde, Mauritania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Namibia, South Africa, India, Mexico, Brazil and all of Europe) collecting experiences and audiovisual documentation in his independent work for international TV channels (Discovery Channel, Arte Channel, Kabel Eins, SAT1, ZDF).
Eugenio Costa
Visual Artist
Multimedia artist and musician born in Argentina. He started his career in VFX and 3D animation in Barcelona, where he lived for 6 years working in graphics and visual design for brands like Nike and Timberland, developing visual contents and marketing strategies. Back in Buenos Aires he worked in 3D animation studios such as Punga, winner of the Gold Promax for Best Branding Animation for Animax in 2006, RDYA (Fibertel, Clarin), Superestudio, which won a Gold Promax for Fox Channel Branding 2009, Illusion Studios (CGI movie studios in Argentina). He collaborated in the making of the multi awarded documentary feature "Huicholes : The last Peyote Guardians” and he´s currently living in Misiones, working in the Esperanza Project crew and as an international freelance audiovisual artist.
Gastón salazar
Music Composer
Argentinian multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer. He has studied violoncello and harmony for 15 years with renowned masters such as Rodnoi and Finoli and attended 2 years at the Escola de Música de Barcelona. He was part of the Barcelona international fusion band “08001” and has a global career with his Gas-Lab project, with 8 CDs and 4 vinyl records. In 2014 he composed the original soundtrack for Huicholes: The Last Peyote Guardians. He currently works with labels from England, Canada and Germany to release his own albums and singles, while composing for international advertising agencies.