On My Radar: Alex Fischman Cárdenas

What’s the most creative advertising idea you’ve seen recently? 

Ian Pons Jewell’s Kyller Instinct was pretty mind-blowing. It was such a fun watch that created this very specific universe, and felt so memorable. I feel like a lot of ads nowadays look very much the same and tell the same types of stories, and I want to commend brands, agencies and directors that give us something fresh. 

What website(s) do you use most regularly?

Flim.ai is my go-to. While it’s obviously great for treatments and conveying tone, my favourite use is as an alternative for storyboards. I can’t draw at all, so being able to pull very specific images to illustrate the compositions I’m imagining has been a revelation. Directing is really about communicating what’s in my head, and this tool helps me explain myself with far more clarity.

What’s the most recent piece of tech that you’ve bought?

I recently bought a charger for my first camcorder, so I’ve been able to use it again. It’s a Canon Vixia HF M400 from around 2011 that I found on my last visit to Lima, and it’s the coolest little camera. It's 20x optical zoom feels like a superpower for creating images. Using it brings me back to the joy I felt when I first started filming, and I plan to bring it to the set as a way to play creatively and discover shots more freely.

What product could you not live without?

My coffee setup is essential. My Rancilio espresso machine is my daily driver, but lately I’ve been experimenting with the OXO Rapid Brewer; it makes surprisingly great coffee.

What’s the best film you’ve seen over the last year?

The film that struck me most this year was A Serious Man, by the the Coen brothers. I’ve always liked it, but this time I completely fell in love with the world they created. In theatres, my favourite experience was Friendship; it’s been a long time since I’ve laughed that much in a cinema.

What film do you think everyone should have seen?

Film is so subjective that I find it hard to recommend just one. But I’d encourage people to seek out Lars von Trier’s The Idiots. The plot is truly unhinged, yet beneath it lies a powerful commentary on how society pressures us to conform. Watching it shifted something in me.

What’s your preferred social media platform?

WhatsApp, iMessage, or FaceTime are my favourites. No algorithms, just connecting with real people.

What’s your favourite TV show? 

I watched The Sopranos for the first time recently and it became my favourite show. The dissection of character with such a powerful lead and ensemble performance is mind-blowing

What’s your favourite podcast?

Scriptnotes, a screenwriting podcast I’ve been listening to for over ten years. I first found it while living in Peru, when I was just beginning to dream about filmmaking. It felt like a rare window into conversations with people I’d only imagined learning from.

What have you been most inspired by recently?

Revisiting Jonathan Glazer’s work. Both films and commercials. There’s always something so inventive about how he approaches a scene. The angle at which he tackles the story is just a little off-kilter in the right way. It’s our world, but a little bit different. I’ve always gravitated towards art that feels like that.

If you could only listen to one music artist from now on, who would it be? 

Talking Heads. There’s something I find completely addictive about their sound. If I’m ever hesitant about what to put on the radio I go to them first. They’re fun and fresh and I could listen to them forever.

If there was one thing you could change about the advertising industry, what would it be?

I’d change the industry’s reluctance to embrace drama. A compelling scene needs conflict. Cinema connects us to a protagonist with a goal, but it’s the obstacle in their way that makes us care. Too many commercials skip the conflict, often out of fear of linking a product to tension. But, without that, the work risks becoming just a string of pretty images, the kind of ad you forget instantly.

Who or what has most influenced your career?

Julio Ramón Ribeyro has been the most influential figure in my career. He is Peru’s most iconic short story writer, and I began my journey as a director by adapting two of his works. Ribeyro was drawn to characters on the margins of society, and that perspective resonated deeply with how I saw the world. It felt like a true creative synergy. If it weren’t for him, I don’t know where I’d be. Those stories gave me the spark to pick up a camera and tell them visually.