Tomás Pichardo-Espaillat, a talented storyteller born in 1987, hails from the Dominican Republic, where he has dedicated his career to the realms of animation, film, and illustration. His creative journey has been marked by several significant milestones, including a full-year scholarship at Fabrica, Benetton's Design Research Center, in Treviso, Italy, in 2013, where he focused on film and video production.
Pichardo-Espaillat's academic background is equally impressive, having received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in animation from Parsons, The New School of Design, in 2010, and his Associate of Arts degree in fine arts from Altos de Chavon in 2008.
As an alumnus of prestigious programs such as Berlinale Talents, Talents Guadalajara, and Pictoplasma Academy, Pichardo's work is characterized by its unique blend of magic realism, evoking the vibrant, surreal, and often disorienting experiences of growing up in the Caribbean. His characters, imbued with a kaleidoscope of colors and textures, find themselves in situations that push them beyond their comfort zones.
Pichardo-Espaillat's animations have been showcased at numerous esteemed film festivals worldwide, including the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland, Annecy Animation Film Festival in France, International Film Festival Rotterdam in Amsterdam, BFI London Film Festival in the UK, Raindance Film Festival in the UK, Quirino Awards in Tenerife, Havana Film Festival in Cuba, and Lago Film Fest in Italy, among others.
