News & Commentary written by Julio Torres

Julio Torres is an Emmy®-nominated, Peabody-winning and WGA-winning writer and comedian from El Salvador. Torres makes his directorial feature film debut with A24’s “Problemista,” which premiered at SXSW in March 2023 to high praise. Torres also wrote and stars in the film alongside Tilda Swinton, Isabella Rosselini, and RZA. The film, produced by Emma Stone and Dave McCary are via their Fruit Tree banner, is set for a limited release on March 1.

Torres stars as Alejandro, an aspiring toy designer from El Salvador, struggling to bring his unusual ideas to life in New York City. As time on his work visa runs out, a job assisting an erratic art-world outcast (Swinton) becomes his only hope to stay in the country and realize his dream. Upcoming, Torres has “Fantasmas” in the works written, directed, executive produced and headlined by Torres, which has received a six-episode series order by HBO and is currently in post-production.

In “Fantasmas,” Torres tells the tale of when he lost a golden oyster. The people he encounters as he searches for it and the musings he has along the way become points of departure for little films, as Torres navigates weaving in and out of these introspective, often eerie comedic stories. Dave McCary will executive produce alongside Emma Stone for their Fruit Tree banner. Irony Point and 3 Arts Entertainment serve as additional executive producers.

Torres can be seen in both seasons of his HBO series “Los Espookys,” which he co-created with Fred Armisen and Ana Fabrega. A Spanish-language (with English subtitles) comedy, “Los Espookys” follows a group of friends who run a business orchestrating fake supernatural happenings for a series of peculiar clients. The show is set in an unnamed Latin American country where the strange and eerie are just part of daily life. Both seasons were received with critical acclaim and season two was awarded a 2023 Peabody Award in Entertainment, GLAAD Award and Dorian Award, in addition to being named one of the New York Times’ Best TV Shows of 2022.

Last year, Torres released his first picture book, “I Want to Be a Vase” from Simon & Schuster. Illustrated by animator and designer Julian Glander and inspired by Torres’ first standup special, “My Favorite Shapes,” which was released on HBO in 2019; the book takes readers on an essential and visually stunning journey through the lives and intimate dramas of often-overlooked household appliances.

Torres received four Emmy® nominations for his work on Saturday Night Live, on which he has served as a writer from 2016 to 2021. In 2023, he was recognized as an honoree in TIME Magazine’s TIME100 Next list, under the “artists” category. The annual list, inspired by the publication’s flagship TIME100, recognizes 100 rising individuals from across industries who are shaping the future of their fields and defining the next generation of leadership. Torres’ additional acting credits include Search Party, The Great North, Shrill, Together Together, and The Other Two. He currently resides in Brooklyn, NY