Darwin Reina is a film director, producer, writer, and film festival director whose work spans Europe and the United States, with a life deeply rooted in cinema and independent filmmaking. Alongside creating his own films, he organizes international festivals in cities including Barcelona, Madrid, New York, and Los Angeles, while describing himself as a methodical and reserved person who values solitude, self-awareness, and following through on his commitments. His upcoming projects include the Love & Hope International Film Festival – Barcelona in October 2026 and Los Angeles Fantasy Fest in November, while he continues developing new films and festival editions. Rather than offering conventional advice, Reina encourages people to be themselves, learn from others without placing them on pedestals, make their own decisions, learn from mistakes, and define success on their own terms.

Here is the Q&A session we had with Darwin Rein.

Darwin Rein As Cover Story Interview – September 2026 Magazine Edition

How do you introduce yourself?

I’m Darwin Reina. First of all, I consider myself a film director. I’m also a producer, writer, and film festival director, working between Europe and the United States.

Over the years, I’ve been involved in directing and producing my own films while also building and running international film festivals. Today, a big part of my life is divided between making films, developing new projects, traveling to festivals, and creating festival experiences for other independent filmmakers.

I run festivals in Barcelona, Madrid, New York, Los Angeles, and other international markets, so basically my life revolves around cinema in one way or another.

Struggle – What hardships have you gone through in life?

There are always struggles. I don’t think problems are reserved for one particular type of person. It doesn’t matter if you’re rich, poor, middle class, successful, or still trying to figure things out — life is going to hit everybody at some point.

What do people usually not know about you?

I’m actually a very methodical and reserved person.

Because I run festivals and spend so much time surrounded by filmmakers and people from the industry, someone might assume that I’m extremely social all the time. But I actually enjoy being by myself. I need that time to think, create, organize things, and develop ideas in my head.

I can also be quite cold sometimes. That’s something I’ve become more aware of over the years. I think part of life is learning how to understand yourself, control your emotions, and understand how other people operate as well.

I’m still learning that like everybody else.

What sets you apart from others?

One thing I constantly try to do is follow through on what I say I’m going to do.

I don’t always succeed. I’ve failed plenty of times, and I’m definitely not perfect. But if I tell filmmakers that I’m creating a festival and people give me their time, money, films, or even travel across the world to.

What are your upcoming major events?

One of the biggest upcoming events is the Love & Hope International Film Festival – Barcelona, taking place October 14–17, 2026, in Barcelona, Spain. This year is going to be a very big edition, with filmmakers traveling from many different countries, screenings, networking events, masterclasses, special activities, and our awards celebration.

After Barcelona, we have the Los Angeles Fantasy Fest, taking place November 20–21, 2026, in Los Angeles. That festival focuses heavily on animation, horror, science fiction, thriller, suspense, and fantasy, and we already have some very unique things planned for this edition.

And beyond those events, I’m constantly developing the next editions of our festivals while continuing to work on my own film projects.

What expert advice would you like to give?

I actually hate the word “advice.”

There are so many people today trying to tell everybody else exactly how they should live, how they should become successful, how they should think, or what steps they need to follow. I don’t really believe in that.

Everybody has completely different circumstances.

The best thing I can probably tell somebody is: be yourself and try to do what you genuinely believe is best for you.

Listen to people, learn from people, read, study, and pay attention — but at the end of the day, you have to make your own decisions.

I’ve met people who, from the outside, looked like huge successful figures, and then once you actually spend time around them, you realize that sometimes they’re not really what you imagined them to be.

So don’t place people on impossible pedestals.

Do your thing. Learn from your mistakes. Try not to destroy yourself with bad habits, keep moving, and figure out your own definition of succeed.

Your social media handles and website links?

You can follow my work and the festivals through my personal website and our different festival platforms:

• Darwin Reina
  Website: www.darwinreina.com
  Instagram: @darwinReina
• Love & Hope International Film Festival – Barcelona
  FilmFreeway: @LHIFFESTIVAL
• The North Film Festival
  FilmFreeway: @TheNorthFilmFest
• Los Angeles Fantasy Fest
  Website: www.losangelesfantasyfest.com
  Instagram: @losangelesfantasyfest
  Facebook: Los Angeles Fantasy Fest
  YouTube: @LosAngelesFantasyFest
  FilmFreeway: @LosAngelesFantasyFest