William D. Caballero
William D. Caballero | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Alma mater | Pratt Institute (BFA) New York University (MA) |
| Occupation | Filmmaker |
William David Caballero is an American multimedia filmmaker known for his often autobiographical work that explores issues of identity through animation and miniatures.[1]
Early life and education
Caballero was born in Coney Island to Puerto Rican parents and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where he lived in trailer park.[2] He was awarded the Bill Gates Millennium Scholarship in 2001. He graduated from the Pratt Institute in 2006, where he majored in digital art and minored in art history. He earned a master's degree from New York University in 2008.[1][3]
Career
In 2010, Caballero's feature-length debut American Dreams Deferred premiered at the New York International Latino Film Festival, and he was commissioned by the Apollo Theater to create Speak! So The World Will Listen! Uganda, a multimedia concert with testimony from child soldiers in the country.[4][1] His 2013 short film Seed Story, his first work using miniatures, debuted at the Slamdance Film Festival.[5][6] That same year, Caballero released the short film How You Doin', Boy? Voicemails from Gran'Pa inspired by voicemail messages from his grandfather. This project evolved into the webseries Gran’pa Knows Best, which was acquired by HBO Latino in 2015.[5][7]
Caballero was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2018.[1] His autobiographical shorts Victor and Isolina, inspired by his grandmother, and Chilly and Milly, inspired by his parents, debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2017 and 2022, respectively.[5][8] The latter aired on the PBS series POV Shorts in 2023.[9] He produced two episodes of the A Little Off the Top webseries in 2023, the second of which was created to promote COVID-19 vaccination.[8][10]
The feature documentary TheyDream, based on interviews with his family, premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival in the NEXT category and received the NEXT Special Jury Award.[5][11][12][2]
Personal life
Caballero is openly bisexual.[13] He resides in Los Angeles.[6]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | A Dream Deferred | [4] | |
| 2013 | Seed Story | Short film | [6] |
| How You Doin', Boy? Voicemails from Gran'Pa | Short film | [5] | |
| 2017 | Victor and Isolina | Short film | [8] |
| 2022 | Chilly and Milly | Short film | [8] |
| 2026 | TheyDream | [5] |
Web series
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015—2016 | Gran’pa Knows Best | 30 episodes | [14] |
| 2023 | A Little Off the Top | 2 episodes | [10] |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Atlanta Film Festival | Best Documentary Short | Chilly and Milly | Won | [15] |
| 2026 | Sundance Film Festival | NEXT Special Jury Award | TheyDream | Won | [12] |
| NEXT Innovator Award | Nominated | [12] |
References
- 1 2 3 4 "William D. Caballero". Guggenheim Fellows. Archived from the original on 6 December 2025. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- 1 2 "Director's Statement". TheyDream. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- ↑ "William D. Caballero". McColl Center. Archived from the original on 17 February 2026. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- 1 2 "American Dreams Deferred". William D. Caballero. Archived from the original on 27 November 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sequeira, Gayle. ""Not Just Art, But Also Play"". International Documentary Association. Archived from the original on 17 March 2026. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 "William D Caballero". BRIC Foundation. Archived from the original on 23 March 2025. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- ↑ Reyes, Raul A. (29 Sep 2015). "'Gran'pa Knows Best': A Feisty, Funny And Wise Puerto Rican Abuelo". NBC News. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "BLACK PUBLIC MEDIA TO PREMIERE THREE VACCINE EQUITY PROJECTS" (PDF). Black Public Media. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 January 2026. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- ↑ "Chilly & Milly". Latino Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on 11 March 2026. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- 1 2 "A Little Off the Top". William D. Caballero. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- ↑ Spicer, Lucy. "Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know William David Caballero, the Filmmaker Behind "TheyDream"". Sundance Institute. Archived from the original on 6 March 2026. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 "2026 Sundance Film Festival Announces Award Winners". Sundance Institute. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- ↑ Kramer, Gary M. (27 Jan 2026). "Sundance Film Festival offers LGBTQ features, documentaries, and shorts". Gay City News. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- ↑ "Gran'Pa Knows Best!". William D. Caballero. Archived from the original on 22 July 2025. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- ↑ "ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL + CREATIVE CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES 2022 AWARD WINNERS AND EVENT RESULTS". Atlanta Film Festival. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2026.