Alejandro Landes was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil to a Colombian mother and Ecuadorian father. He studied economics at Brown University and later went on to write for a US-based newspaper and television show, before directing the documentary film Cocalero - premiering at Sundance in 2007 and opening theatrically in more than ten countries. With Porfirio, he was a fellow at the Cinefondation Residence and Sundance Institute.