Diego Céspedes (; born 1995) is a Chilean film director and screenwriter. His debut feature film, The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo, won the Un Certain Regard competition of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
Early life Céspedes was born in Santiago and grew up in a working class family from Peñalolén. His father is a school bus driver and his mother is a homemaker. He received a scholarship to study film and television at the University of Chile, from which he graduated in 2018. While a student, he met director Alicia Scherson and worked as her assistant for three years.
Career Céspedes's directorial debut, a short titled The Summer of the Electric Lion, won the Cinéfondation prize at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. He went on to write and direct a second short film titled The Melting Creatures, which premiered in the Critics' Week section of the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.
His debut feature film, The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo, won the Un Certain Regard competition of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. The film was later selected as the Chilean entry for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards and received a nomination for Best Ibero-American Film at the 40th Goya Awards.
In May 2026, he was announced as a jury member for the main competition of the 79th Cannes Film Festival.
Filmography
Year Title Director Writer Cinematographer Notes 2016 Non Castus Short film 2018 The Summer of the Electric Lion Short film 2022 The Melting Creatures Short film 2025 The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo
Awards and nominations Award Year Category Nominated work Result Brussels International Film Festival 2025 Grand Prix The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo FIPRESCI Prize Cinéfondation 2018 First Jury Prize The Summer of the Electric Lion Cannes Film Festival 2025 Prix Un Certain Regard The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo Caméra d'Or Queer Palm Lima Film Festival 2025 Special Mention Best First Feature Film QCinema International Film Festival 2025 Best LGBT Film San Sebastián International Film Festival 2025 Latin Horizons Best Film DAMA Youth Award Sundance Film Festival 2019 Short Film Grand Jury Prize The Summer of the Electric Lion Toronto International Film Festival 2022 IMDbPro Short Cuts Award The Melting Creatures
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