David
Orantes

is a Los Angeles-based director and writer. His work digs into the chaos where personal demons, cultural scars, and spiritual wounds collide—where self-destruction and reckoning spiral into uneasy transformation. Rooted in myth, memory, and the surreal logic of dreams, his films follow scoundrels and seekers who lose themselves to find what’s left behind. In 2024, his short film FIVE was showcased at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture.

EDUCATION

AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE CONSERVATORY
Master of Fine Arts, Directing - Class of 2021

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE
Bachelor of Arts, Cinematography - Class of 2015