Filmmaker, Photographer and Creative Director Lucrecia Always Trusts Her Instincts

Emotional sensitivity yields the best results

Lucrecia is a filmmaker, photographer and creative director. Her work spans commercials, music videos and narrative projects for brands including Ensure, Oxfam, Peroni and Bibigo. She is represented in Canada by Holiday Films.

We spent two minutes with Lucrecia to learn more about her background, her creative inspirations and recent work she’s admired. 

Lucrecia, tell us …

Where you grew up, and where you live now.

I grew up in Argentina, and I left when I was 24 to move to London. The city is where I discovered photography, started directing music videos and commercials and found my voice as an artist. So much of my creative identity was shaped there. Now I live between London and Mallorca. Being on the island has reconnected me to the warmth, stillness and color I grew up with in Argentina.

A moment from high school or college that changed your life.

When I moved to London, I signed up for a media production course. Two weeks before it started, the school emailed me saying there weren’t enough students, so the course was cancelled. They asked if I wanted to switch to photography. I said yes without really thinking about it. That accident completely changed my life. Photography opened this Pandora’s box creatively for me, and eventually led to directing.

A book, movie, TV show or podcast you recently found inspiring.

Every Sunday I watch four or five films, everything from The Tree of Life to Scorsese to indie films and emerging directors. I also love listening to directors talk about process on the DGA podcast. Recently I felt inspired by Chloé Zhao and the way she creates spiritually-led, emotionally safe environments on set. And David Lynch’s Catching the Big Fish resonates with me too—the idea that creativity already exists in the universe and you have to be quiet enough to channel it.

A recent project you’re proud of.

My recent Ensure campaign. It represented a lot of what I care about creatively and emotionally. The film celebrated older generations through a very honest cinematic lens, but without being patronizing or performative. We worked with real people instead of actors, including BMX champions in their 50s and 60s, as well as ballerinas, inventors and Olympic athletes. They were fully living their lives and doing extraordinary things at an age society often overlooks.

What made the project especially meaningful was the environment we created on set. I wanted everyone to feel completely safe and seen so I could capture something real. The energy became incredibly emotional and connected. By the end, it felt much bigger than making a commercial. It felt like we were celebrating the human experience, courage, aging and what it means to keep evolving as a person.

Your main strength as a creative person.

I trust my instinct deeply, whether it’s about casting, composition, pacing, music or emotional tone. Usually, my first ideas are the ones that end up becoming the center of the project. Years of constantly creating trained me to listen to that inner voice and trust it. I also think emotional sensitivity is a huge strength for me—understanding people, creating safe environments and translating human feelings into images.

Your biggest weakness.

Early in my career, one of my biggest weaknesses was believing I had to direct from a place of fear and combativeness to make great work. I thought I had to constantly defend my ideas and be tough all the time. I put myself under enormous pressure creatively. Eventually I realized that approach didn’t work at all. The best work comes when I feel safe, calm, open and collaborative. Letting go of that fear-based mindset completely changed the way I direct.

What you would be doing if you weren’t working in film.

Hosting the BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show or something equally chaotic. I love music, conversation, storytelling and making people laugh, so it feels connected to what I do now.