Kacho López Mari (born May 16, 1975) is a Puerto Rican filmmaker and music video director, co-founder of the production company Filmes Zapatero. His work spans more than forty music videos and short films, including projects that helped define reggaetón’s visual language and others that merge documentary and activism. In 2014, he became the first director to win both Best Short Form Music Video and Best Long Form Music Video at the same Latin Grammy Awards ceremony. He is a 7-time nominee and two time Latin Grammy Award winner for his music videos “Ojos Color Sol” (Calle 13) (featuring actors Gael García Bernal and María Valverde) and “Loco de Amor” (Juanes). His second collaboration with Juanes titled Mis Planes son Amarte (coincidentally Latin music's first visual album), got López Mari his 6th Latin Grammy nomination and his 4th for Best Music Video, Long Form. His music video/documentary "El Apagón - Aquí vive gente" for Bad Bunny was nominated at The Shots Awards of the Americas 2023 in the video of the year category and was shortlisted at Cannes Lions 70 in Cannes, France in 2023. The video was also nominated at the VMAs 2023 in the Video for good category. In August 2023 Premios Rolling Stone en Español nominated "Canción Desaparecida" by Juanes, music video López Mari directed, in the Videoclip del Año category. In 2025 Kacho directed the music video for Baile Inolvidable (Bad Bunny), the first Salsa song to reach #1 in Apple Music's global charts.
Career Kacho López Mari started his career in the field of graphic design. Before directing, López Mari produced underground music events in Puerto Rico and worked on television commercials at Paradiso Films. His first music video was Tego Calderón’s “Abayarde/Gracias” (2003), a six-minute narrative piece combining two songs. The video coincided with Calderón’s breakthrough and became one of the genre’s earliest visual landmarks. Throughout his career, López Mari has directed music videos for Bad Bunny, Ricky Martin, Juanes, Ile, Aventura, Daddy Yankee, Calle 13, Don Omar, Tego Calderón and Chayanne among many others.
Style and themes López Mari’s videography ranges from genre-defining reggaetón hits to socially engaged works that integrate documentary and political commentary. His films often emphasize cultural identity, memory, and the relationship between image and community.
Cultural impact A 2025 feature by the Los Angeles Times highlighted López Mari as one of the key visual storytellers behind Latin music’s rise to global prominence. The newspaper described his portfolio of more than forty music videos as “flip-booking through modern Latin music history” and credited his early collaborations—such as Abayarde, Gasolina and Ojos Color Sol—with helping to define the aesthetics of reggaetón and contemporary Latin pop. The Los Angeles Times further noted that López Mari’s later works, including El Apagón — Aquí Vive Gente and Multi_Viral, expand the possibilities of the music video format by fusing performance with documentary storytelling and social commentary. His inclusion in the paper’s De Los section was cited as emblematic of a growing recognition of Latinx creatives shaping global culture from behind the camera.
Notable works Daddy Yankee – "Gasolina" (2005): Co-directed; although assembled quickly by looping initial footage for MTV broadcast, it introduced reggaetón to global audiences and helped establish the genre’s early on-screen aesthetic. Calle 13 – "Adentro" (2014): Latin Grammy nominee for Best Short Form Video; features frontman Residente destroying a Maserati as an anti-consumerism statement. Calle 13 – "Multi_Viral" (2014): Filmed in the West Bank; portrays children building a guitar from a rifle and was described by López Mari as one of his most important projects. Calle 13 – "Ojos Color Sol" (2014): Latin Grammy winner for Best Short Form Video; features Silvio Rodríguez, with Gael García Bernal and María Valverde in the cast. Juanes – "Loco de Amor (La Historia)" (2014): Latin Grammy winner for Best Long Form Music Video, the same year López Mari also won Best Short Form, a first-ever double win in the awards’ history. Juanes – Mis Planes Son Amarte (2017): Recognized as Latin music’s first major visual album, a one-hour narrative linking twelve songs through a sci-fi/romance storyline. Bad Bunny – "Callaíta" (2019): Crafted as a dream-like portrayal of Puerto Rican summer nights, Bad Bunny later praised it for conveying the feeling of a “hug.” Bad Bunny – "El Apagón — Aquí Vive Gente" (2022): Expanded into a 22-minute investigative short with journalist Bianca Graulau, spotlighting blackouts and post-hurricane infrastructure issues in Puerto Rico. Bad Bunny – "Baile Inolvidable" (2025): Filmed at the University of Puerto Rico and other island locations; part of the 2025 album cycle and continuing López Mari’s collaboration with Bad Bunny.
Filmography
Music videos TitleYearArtist(s)NotesRef.Baile Inolvidable2025Bad Bunny Nominated - VMAs 2025 LatinCanción Desaparecida2023Juanes and MabilandNominated - Premio Rolling Stone 2023 Won - Buenos Aires Music Video Festival 2023 - Impacto Social
Nominated - Brazil Music Video Festival - Melhor videoclipe LatamEl Apagón-Aquí vive gente2022Bad BunnyShort List - Video of the year - Shots Awards The Americas 2023 Short List - Cannes Lions 2023 - Entertainment for music
Nominated - VMAs 2023 Video for good
Won -Buenos Aires Music Video Festival 2023 - DocumentalFlow HP2021Don Omar and ResidenteWon - Urban Video – Buenos Aires Music Video Festival 2021Volví2021Aventura and Bad BunnyOrigen (Documental)2021JuanesNominated – Latin Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music VideoLo Nuestro Vale Más2020Jesse & JoyTiburones2020Ricky MartinTequila2019JuanesTanto2019Jesse & Joy and Luis FonsiCallaíta2019Bad BunnyDandy del Congo2018Trending TropicsEl Intelné2018Trending TropicsNominated – Best Concept at the Berlin Music Video AwardsDi que sientes tú2018ChayanneLa Player2018Zion & LennoxYo Contra Ti2017Daddy Yankee featuring Orquesta Sinfónica de Puerto RicoWon – Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity Won – El Sol Award
Won – Clio Awards
Won – SME Digital AwardMis Planes Son Amarte2017JuanesNominated – Latin Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music VideoTe Quiero Con Bugalú2016iLeLa Vida (Respira el Momento)2015Calle 13Loco de Amor, La Historia2014JuanesWon – Latin Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music VideoOjos Color Sol2014Calle 13 featuring Silvio RodríguezWon – Latin Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music VideoAdentro2014Calle 13Nominated – Latin Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music VideoEl Aguante2014Calle 13Multi_Viral2014Calle 13Musica en Tiempos2014Various ArtistsNominated – Latin Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music VideoHecho con Sabor a Puerto Rico2013Various ArtistsNominated – Latin Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music VideoSe Van2005Julio VoltioDonqueo2005Don OmarBandoleros2005Don Omar featuring Tego CalderónGasolina2004Daddy YankeeWon – Premios de la Gente "Video of the Year" Nominated – MTV2 Award "Best Video"Guajira2004Yerba Buena!Tal Vez2003Ricky MartinJaleo2003Ricky MartinAbayarde2003Tego Calderón
Accolades At the 16th Annual Latin Grammy Awards in 2014, López Mari won Best Short Form Music Video for Ojos Color Sol and Best Long Form Music Video for Loco de Amor (La Historia), becoming the first director to win both categories in the same year. YearNominee/WorkAwardResultRef2025Baile InolvidableVMAs 2025 - LatinNominated2024Director of the yearHeat Latin Music Awards 2024 Nominated2023Canción DesaparecidaBrazil Music Video Festival - Melhor videoclipe LatamNominated2023El ApagónBuenos Aires Music Video Festival 2023 - DocumentalWon2023Canción DesaparecidaBuenos Aires Music Video Festival 2023- Impacto SocialWon2023Canción DesaparecidaPremio Rolling Stone 2023 - Videoclip del AñoNominated2023El ApagónVMAs 2023 - Video for GoodNominated2023El ApagónCannes Lions - Entertainment for music - Excellence in Music VideoShort List2023El ApagónSME Digital AwardsBest of Show2023El ApagónShots Awards The Americas 2023 - Video of the year Short List2022Flow HPBogotá Music Video FestivalFinalist2021Flow HPBuenos Aires Music Video Festival 2021Won2021"Origen" DocumentalLatin Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music VideoNominated2018"Yo Contra Ti"Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity award for EntertainmentShortlist WinnerCannes Lions International Festival of Creativity award for Radio and AudioWon BronzeEl Festival Iberoamericano de la Comunicación Publicitaria El Sol award for Digital and MobileWon SilverClio Awards for Social Good and Music MarketingWon BronzeSME Digital Award for Best Social Responsibility Campaign Won GoldSME Digital Award for Best Use of Content MarketingWon GoldSME Digital Award for Best Video ExecutionWon Silver2017"Mis Planes Son Amarte"Latin Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music VideoNominated2015"Loco de Amor, La Historia"Latin Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music VideoWon"Ojos Color Sol"Latin Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music VideoWon2014"Adentro"Latin Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music VideoNominated"Música en Tiempos"Latin Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music VideoNominated2013"Hecho con Sabor a Puerto Rico"Latin Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music VideoNominated2005"Gasolina"MTV2 Award "Best Video"Nominated
References