about

Juan Agustín Márquez is a four-time Emmy award winning filmmaker and TED Speaker best known for his documentaries 100,000, The Last Colony, and his national music TV show, Té Para Tres con Pili Montilla.

Juan’s professional career began after graduating from Ithaca College with a degree in cinema production in 2004 when Juan served as the first producer of Operación Éxito, the international online competition that promotes education and technology across Puerto Rico, Latin America and the USA.

After Operación Éxito, Juan co-founded EyeTour.com, Puerto Rico’s premier online video guide. For three years Juan produced and directed over 120 videos of Puerto Rico’s top tourist destinations. During Juan’s leadership, the company won the prestigious Guayancan Business Plan Award and the website EyeTour.com won Best Puerto Rico Website voted by the Sales and Marketing Association of Puerto Rico (SME).

In 2009, Juan’s professional career took a big leap forward. Juan and his team competed and won the coveted DocTV film and distribution grant. With this grant, Juan directed his first feature length documentary about Puerto Rico’s dog overpopulation problem, called 100,000. The project has been broadcasted in 14 Latin American countries and won numerous awards and recognitions including an EMMY in 2011.

After 100,000, Juan co-directed his second Emmy winning documentary, the inspiring true story of 17 students who saved their school from closing. ‘Los 17’ premiered in Univisión with phenomenal ratings.

In 2011, Juan moved to Los Angeles, California. Together with host and actress Pili Montilla, he produced and directed the acclaimed and EMMY winning television series Té Para Tres con Pili Montilla, a rockumentary style music show where up and coming musical talents get to share their stories with the rest of the world.

His most recent and ambitious project is The Last Colony, a documentary about Puerto Rico’s unique relationship with the United States. The Last Colony puts together Puerto Rico’s top political figures, thinkers and activists in a multilevel conversation about the Island’s ultimate political status.

Juan’s continued commitment to the arts, entertainment, and education has earned him a spot as one of today’s top Latino filmmakers.

Awards

2016 EMMY Winner DIRECTOR The Last Colony

2016 Puerto Rican Leadership Summit Special Honoree

2016 BEST EDITOR Madrid International Film Festival

2016 BEST DIRECTOR Madrid International Film Festival

2015 Suncoast EMMY AWARD Té para Tres Magazine Program

2015 Best Puerto Rican Documentary Rincon International Film Festival

2015 Amnesty International Human Rights Prize

2015 Shortlisted Premios Fenix (Mexico)

2013 Emmy Editing Té Para Tres con Pili Montilla

2013 Emmy Magazine Program Té Para Tres con Pili Montilla (Producer)

2012 EMMY WINNER short documentary "Los 17"

2011 Emmy for '100,000'

Winner Documentary Topical 2011 Suncoast Emmy® Awards

2011 Best Puerto Rico Documentary

Winner Best Puerto Rico Documentary at Rincon International Film Festival (RIFF)

2011 Best Puerto Rico Documentary Audience Choice

Winner Best Puerto Rico Documentary Audience Choice Award at the Rincón International Film Festival (RIFF)

2011 Best Puerto Rican Feature

Winner Best Puerto Rican Feature at the Puerto Rico International Film Festival in Vieques Island (PRIFF).

2011 Official Selection Aruba International Film Festival

Official Selection Aruba International Film Festival.

2009 Winner DocTV IB 2 Puerto Rico

The international call-for-proposal competition, DocTV IB is a prestigious grant that provides $70,000 to finance the production of a documentary, plus guaranteed distribution in 14 Latin American countries. Each participating country hosts a local competition and only one production team can win the grant in each participating country. Over 30 production companies and teams participated in Puerto Rico. After three rounds of proposals and presentations, I lead our team to win the production grant.

2009 Best Website WebAd Awards for EyeTour.com

2007 EnterPrize Business Plan Competition

EnterPrize Business Plan Competition

2007 15/15 Film Festival Best Use of Object

There is an international competition called 15/15 Film Festival. Teams from around the world have to create a short that is less than 15 minutes in less than 15 hours. All participants are assigned the same topic and object to use on the same day at the same time. We had to use the phrase: “You have to believe what is says on the label” and we also had to use money as an object.

We did a quick brainstorm secession in the morning of the competition and then we all went our separate ways to focus on our individual tasks. I played the main talent. I also did the editing.

Our entry, CaCash won “Best Use of Object”.

Juan Agustin Marquez Director - Producer - Editor