Victor Tadashi Suarez

Victor Tadashi Suarez
Born
Orange, California, United States
EducationColumbia University
Known forCinematographer
AwardsNews and Documentary Emmy
Websitehttp://www.tadashi.tv

Victor Tadashi Suárez is an American documentary cinematographer and filmmaker. He is a two-time News & Documentary Emmy Award winner and has worked as director of photography on documentary films and series for outlets including The New York Times, ESPN, PBS, and Investigation Discovery.[1][2] His short documentary Still Standing (co-directed with journalist Livia Albeck-Ripka) premiered in the short film program at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival[3]

Career

Suárez began his career as a cameraman for Al Jazeera English, serving as the director of photography on the investigative series Fault Lines from 2013 to 2018[4] During this time, he filmed 45 episodes of Fault Lines and his work on the series earned multiple News & Documentary Emmy nominations (seven in total).[4] After 2018, Suárez worked as a cinematographer on documentary projects for National Geographic, PBS’s Frontline, ESPN, and The New York Times. He was a lead cinematographer for The New York Times Presents (formerly The Weekly) from 2019 to 2023.[4][1] His feature documentary credits as director of photography include Harvest Season (2018), which aired on PBS Independent Lens, and The Infinite Race (2020) for ESPN’s 30 for 30 series.[5][6] He was also the cinematographer for The Strike (2024), a film about a California prison hunger strike that aired on PBS Independent Lens in early 2025,[7] and Driver (2024), which premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival and later aired on PBS’s POV in 2025.[8] In 2025, he was credited as a cinematographer on the Amazon Prime Video docuseries Glitter & Greed: The Lisa Frank Story (2023) and on Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV (2024), a four-part investigative series that premiered on Investigation Discovery.[2]

In addition to his cinematography work, Suárez has also directed short films. In 2025, Suárez co-directed the short documentary Still Standing with Livia Albeck-Ripka; the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival as part of its short film competition.[9]

Awards

Suárez has won two News & Documentary Emmy Awards for his work, and has garnered numerous additional Emmy nominations.[1] In 2020, he was part of the team (alongside journalist Rukmini Callimachi and others) that won the Overseas Press Club’s Edward R. Murrow Award for the short documentary Collision, produced for The New York Times.[10]

Selected Filmography

As cinematographer

  • Harvest Season (2018) – Director: Bernardo Ruiz. Aired on PBS Independent Lens.[5][11]
  • The Infinite Race (2020) – Director: Bernardo Ruiz. ESPN 30 for 30[6]
  • The New York Times Presents (series, 2019–2023) – FX / Hulu documentary series by The New York Times (formerly The Weekly)[4]
  • Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV (2024) – Investigation Discovery docuseries.[2]
  • The Strike (2024) – Feature documentary, aired on Independent Lens in 2025[7]
  • Driver (2024) – Feature documentary, premiered at Tribeca 2024 and broadcast on PBS POV[12][8]
  • The Return (2025) – Feature documentary, premiered at the 2025 SXSW Film Festival[13]

As director

  • Alpha Mare (2019) – Short documentary, co-directed with Mimi Wilcox.[14]
  • Uncle Morris (2025) – Short fiction film, co-directed with Max Azulay[15]
  • Still Standing (2026) – Short documentary, co-directed with Livia Albeck-Ripka[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Overcome the Challenges of Shooting for Nonfiction with the DP of 'Quiet On Set' | No Film School". nofilmschool.com. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
  2. ^ a b c Stillman, Cory (2024-06-22). "Interview: 'Quiet on Set' Cinematographer Víctor Tadashi Suárez on Inverting the Aesthetic of Children's TV". Awards Radar. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
  3. ^ a b Mullen, Pat (2025-12-15). "Sundance Announces Short Documentaries in Competition". POV Magazine. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
  4. ^ a b c d "What's in My Bag: Victor Tadashi Suárez | International Documentary Association". www.documentary.org. 2024-12-11. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
  5. ^ a b "HARVEST SEASON". DOC NYC. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
  6. ^ a b "The Infinite Race". Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
  7. ^ a b Producer, Jennifer Robinson / Web (2025-01-31). "INDEPENDENT LENS: The Strike". KPBS Public Media. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
  8. ^ a b "'POV' Introduces Women Long-Haul Truck Drivers Rallying For Workers' Rights in DRIVER | American Documentary". www.amdoc.org. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
  9. ^ Gardner, Chris (2025-12-15). "Luigi Mangione and Steph Curry Projects Among Sundance Short Film Program Selections". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
  10. ^ America, OPC of (2020-04-02). "Overseas Press Club of America Announces Annual Award Winners". OPC. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
  11. ^ "'Harvest Season' Is a Moving Portrait of Latinos Who Fuel California's Massive Wine Industry". Remezcla. 2019-04-04. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
  12. ^ "DRIVER | 2024 Tribeca Festival". Tribeca. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
  13. ^ "SXSW 2025 Filmmakers Share Their Best Advice for Those Starting Out | No Film School". nofilmschool.com. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
  14. ^ "doc films". docfilms.uchicago.edu. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
  15. ^ Munday, Rob. "Uncle Morris by Victor Tadashi Suarez & Max Azulay". Short of the Week. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
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