Maximiliano Battaglia, Uruguay / France

Maximiliano Battaglia (born 1995) is an Uruguayan filmmaker and photographer based in Paris, specializing in the field of experimental documentary. He holds an MFA in Photography and Image-making from the Paris College of Art (2023) and a BA in Chinese language from the Beijing Language and Culture University (2018). His graduate research focused on hybrid practices in documentary, experimental approaches to the representation of experience, and theories that favor embodiment in documentary viewing. Maximiliano has recently joined the Paris College of Art as adjunct faculty, where he teaches experimental documentary and digital photography.

As a documentary filmmaker, his practice is oriented towards conjecture rather than the generation of knowledge. For this purpose, he employs hybrid practices that prioritize imagination, uncertainty, and subjective experiences. His approach to image-making is layered and polycentric, allowing for the emergence of poetically intertwined realities. His video work has been selected for film festivals such as the Beijing Indie Short Film Festival (2022), Cambodia International Film Festival (2022), Guelph Dance Festival Screen Dance Series (2023), Motion State Film Festival in Rhode Island (2023), and Dance Made in Canada Festival (2023).

Maximiliano lived and worked in Beijing, China, for six years and in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, for one year before relocating to Paris. His professional experience spans from directing and producing branded content to working as a cinematographer/camera operator for fashion and luxury brands in Paris.

He is currently co-directing a film titled "Castillo Rojo" with Uruguayan/French researcher and visual artist Gaby David, exploring the cultural plurality of the Château Rouge - Goutte d’Or neighborhood in the 18th arrondissement of Paris.

Maximiliano in Phnom Khulen, Cambodia, filming “People Grow Wings”
​a documentary film co-directed with Cambodian photographer & visual artist Ponita Keo. 

During his residency with L’AiR Arts, Maximiliano will conduct research on Atelier 11 and the historical artistic community of Cité Falguière in Paris. This research will culminate in the creation of a hybrid documentary that aims to visualize this rich history while bringing forward the sensory information encoded in the building through performance and experimental approaches to image-making.