Angel Soto - Raising Aruba in the world of cinema

Born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, Angel Soto (52) has demonstrated that passion and dedication can take you far. As an innovative director, producer, scriptwriter, editor, director of photography, image colorist, cameraman, and actor, Angel has made his mark in the cinematic industry both in Aruba and internationally. Through his work, he not only pursues his passion but also elevates the name of Aruba on the global map.

But the reality is that Angel's passion for this art started from a very young age. “I remember as a child, I used to participate in music, art, acting, painting lessons, and more. My mom used to take me to all of them. At 8 years old, I won my first prize with a story about a monkey that was playing baseball,” Angel recounts. After that, he studied music at a conservatory in Venezuela, then continued with marketing at a University in the '90s. There, he started working on commercials with a television channel. He also worked with radio until 1994, when he arrived in Aruba, where soon after he began his first job at a local radio with his own program called “La Capsula de Alta Presion.”

A short time later, he was recruited as an editor and for audio at ATV where he also did graphics. When he left ATV, Angel started his own production house called Soto Production and continued doing freelance work for different companies, among them Tele-Aruba with his program ‘Oxygen’.
“I remember I started with the digital system in video in Aruba where this system didn’t exist yet, and for Tele-Aruba to broadcast my programs, I had to go there with my camera so they could convert it to an analog system, and thus they could broadcast it on television.”

He continued to work and create programs like Mente Sano, Curpa Sano and produced several other programs and commercials for different people.Always, with his love for his art, as his ‘fuel’.

The cinematic journey of Angel Soto began with his first short film in 2020: a horror movie titled “The Last Survivor.” From there, his career soared with productions such as “Lockdown” (2021), and his successful feature film “BlackOut” (2022), which won international recognition, including the prestigious BEST DIRECTOR award at the SHUNYATAM Film Festival in Mumbai, India.

His ability to tell captivating stories was further evident in “The Search” (2023), “The Legend of Captain Al” (2023), and “The Rich Pirate” (2023), each revealing a different aspect of his versatile talent.

Recognized as a pioneer in the digital era in Aruba, Angel introduced a new and progressive way of cinematographic creation on the island.

His innovative use of technology has opened doors for other local talents and laid the foundation for future filmmakers in Aruba.

It’s not easy to get funding in Aruba. The Tierras Calientes movie is a project of almost 5 years and when I first presented it to the Prins Bernhard Fund, it wasn’t approved. I was informed that they do not provide funding for these types of movies. They support more productions related to history/culture. Then I put the movie on ‘hold’ and decided to produce the movie Black Out which is about World War II where Aruba’s refinery was bombed by a German submarine. There I got a bit of financial support but still, not enough to cover everything. To be able to reduce costs and make the movie a reality, I had to take on various roles in the movie like cameraman, graphic designer, editor, audio etc., to reduce the costs.

It’s not easy. Each movie has its cost. The instances that finance movies are very few, and those that do finance, have a lot of bureaucracy I call it, and perhaps always opt to work with the same group. I find that annoying. Besides my work creating movies, I also teach at EPI, to continue motivating youngsters about this unique art. In Aruba, there’s a lot of talent but to manage to gather the money to hire all these people is difficult.
Really, I can’t live off of this, it’s too much for me, a love for this art that is just part of my life and I will continue doing it, as far as I can.”