JULIO TORRES: COLOR THEORIES

Julio Torres is an Emmy®-nominated, Peabody-winning, and WGA-winning writer, director, and comedian from El Salvador.  ​Torres made his directorial feature film debut with A24’s Problemista, which premiered at SXSW in March 2023 to high praise. Torres also wrote the film and stars alongside Tilda Swinton, Isabella Rossellini, and RZA. The film, produced by Emma Stone and Dave McCary via their Fruit Tree banner, was released in March 2024.​ Most recently, Torres wrote, directed, executive produced, and starred in HBO’s six-episode Fantasmas, which premiered on June 7th. In Fantasmas, Torres tells the tale of when he lost an oyster earring. The people he encounters as he searches for it and his musings along the way become points of departure for little films. Torres navigates weaving in and out of these introspective, often eerie, comedic stories. Dave McCary executive-produced alongside Emma Stone for their Fruit Tree banner. Irony Point and 3 Arts Entertainment served as additional executive producers. 

Torres was just nominated for 4 Independent Spirit Awards (2025) for Problemista and Fantasmas. Additionally, 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. 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.

Torres has also 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.

Photo: Mitch Zachary