About

A person with glasses and a beard is holding a camera with a large lens, outdoors near trees, with sunlight filtering through the leaves.

I’m Diego Rivera-Kohn, a filmmaker and editor based in Montreal. My practice brings together editing, documentary camera work, aerial cinematography, and my own films. Each informs the others: editing shapes the way I film, and filming keeps me attentive to what happens beyond the frame.

For more than a decade, I’ve edited documentaries and fiction, collaborating on productions from Canada, Mexico, Germany, Bolivia, and beyond. Editing means spending time with people I may never meet, listening to their words and noticing their gestures and silences. I look for a film’s structure and rhythm while remaining attentive to the complexity of the people it portrays.

Behind the camera, I work on my own documentaries and collaborate with other filmmakers. This includes projects with Impact Media Lab as a second camera operator and drone cinematographer on science and nature documentaries in Belize, the Cayman Islands, and the United States. I hold a Transport Canada drone pilot certificate for advanced operations.

At Concordia University’s Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema, I provide technical and post-production support in animation, helping students work through the practical challenges of making their films. I’ve also taught Introduction to Drone Videography and shared my experience through workshops in editing and post-production. I enjoy helping others gain the confidence and tools to develop their own approach.

My films have screened at international festivals including IDFA, Hot Docs, and Thessaloniki. Ex-voto for Three Souls received the Golden Frog at Camerimage in 2008. My education includes a BA in Audiovisual Media Production completed in Buenos Aires, an MFA in Film Production from Concordia, and a diploma in Interactive Media from INIS.

My path has taken me between Latin America and Canada, and I work in English, French, and Spanish. Outside cinema, I find pleasure in cooking, fermentation, and urban agriculture, in which I’ve also completed a certificate. Making things, experimenting, and learning remain central to my life.

I’m always interested in conversations that can lead to thoughtful films, unexpected collaborations, or opportunities to teach and learn.

Black and white contact sheet of film frames showing a street view landscape, close-up of mechanical parts, and objects on a working surface, arranged in a grid.
Array of black and white film contact sheet with multiple images of an airport runway, airplanes, and airport equipment, including close-ups of aircraft engines and wide shots of planes at the gate and taxiing.

Editing and Post-Production

For over a decade, editing has been central to Rivera-Kohn’s work. He has collaborated on international documentaries, fiction films, and animation projects produced in Canada, Mexico, Germany, Bolivia, and beyond. His credits include feature-length documentaries and fiction as well as numerous shorts, advertising and social campaigns.

He has also shared his expertise through workshops and teaching, supporting students and emerging filmmakers in editing, post-production workflows, and visual storytelling.

Black and white contact sheet of various landscape and cityscape photographs, including bridges, mountains, and urban areas.

Aerial Imaging

A Transport Canada–certified drone pilot, Rivera-Kohn integrates aerial imagery into his filmmaking practice, capturing unique perspectives that enhance narrative and visual storytelling. He has taught Drone Videography at Concordia University, blending technical precision with artistic vision.

A collage of black and white photographs of young girls posing outdoors with mountains, water, and boats in the background.

Artistic Practice

My personal projects give me space to experiment and follow questions that stay with me. Moving between documentary, fiction, and animation, I let each project lead me toward the form that feels right for it, often learning something I hadn’t set out to discover.

Contact sheet of black and white surveillance or security camera footage showing various scenes including equipment, machinery, and outdoor landscape.
A contact sheet of black and white photos showing an airport runway, planes, and a person walking, with views of both the sky and ground.

Grants, Bursaries & Juries

My creative and academic work has been supported by several of Canada’s most respected arts institutions, including the Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ), and SODEC. Over the years, I have received multiple bursaries for film development, writing, and production, such as the SODEC Jeunes Créateurs grant and the CALQ Vivacité Montréal program, both recognizing projects that foster cultural dialogue and innovation.

In addition to professional recognition, my academic path was also marked by several awards, including the Québecor Bursary for Cultural Diversity, the Graduate Fellowship, and the Omer DeSerres Prize for Excellence in Visual Arts at Concordia University, honoring both artistic and scholarly achievement.

Together, these grants and distinctions have allowed me to sustain a practice at the intersection of documentary cinema, digital art, and education—supporting projects that combine technical precision with a deep commitment to storytelling.