We are a documentary and non-fiction media production company and research agency specializing in unearthing captivating stories through extensive research and working primarily with archival materials.
We are based in Mexico, but we collaborate with filmmakers internationally. We've teamed up with renowned companies in the industry such as BBC, TIME Studios, Amazon Studios, Imagine Entertainment, Mezcla, and Exile Content Studio.
The films and series we have worked on have been released on Netflix, Paramount+, AppleTV, and POV, and have screened at festivals like Sundance, Berlinale, Tribeca, SXSW, Ambulante, DOC NYC, and HotDocs, among others. Through our work, we have explored a wide gamut of stories and archives from the US, Mexico, Canada, Spain, Cyprus, Cuba, India, South Africa, the UK, and many other countries in Latin America and Europe.
In 2022, we also started our film archive, which is being restored and digitized.
Our skilled researchers have a keen eye for detail and an unwavering dedication to uncovering rare and compelling archival materials. By meticulously combing through archives, we aim to find hidden gems that form the backbone of captivating non-fiction narratives and paint a comprehensive picture of the past.
We offer specialized expertise in archival workflows, budget management, and licensing negotiation services, ensuring seamless integration of archival materials into the production and post-production processes, ensuring a smooth collaboration between researchers, producers/showrunners, story editors, AEs, and post-production facilities.
We are currently working on our first international co-productions with creative partners in Europe and the US, as well as developing our first investigative podcast. We have pitched in international forums, securing public funding and several awards. Our main goal is to balance original work while collaborating on projects for hire.
Developing projects from scratch with creative partners is one of the most rewarding experiences. Being part of the process early on will help the project start with a solid footing when writing, planning, and budgeting a project. Good research can help locate otherwise unknown storylines, characters, and archival materials that can make a film much more powerful and unique.
Our passion for stories told by the archives led us to build our film archive with over 2,000 film reels (and growing) with footage from all over the world. Our archive consists mainly of orphan films and home movies, newsreels, and rare official productions on 8mm, Super8, Pathé 9.5mm, and 16mm formats. We are currently cataloguing, restoring, and digitizing these reels and our goal is that the archive could be open to the public via our website very soon. Feel free to reach out if you have any specific needs.
Adrián is a documentary filmmaker and archival producer with over 15 years of experience. In 2023, he was part of DOCNYC’s 40 Under 40 Class. The films he’s worked on have premiered in festivals such as Sundance, Berlinale, SXSW, and BAM Cinemafest.
Manuel is a passionate researcher, film and record collector from Monterrey, Mexico. In 2022, he joined Past Tense as the Lead Archival Researcher, participating in films, series and podcasts.
With a background in science, science education and tech, Miranda is a skilled researcher who has been working in documentary films and series as well as educational videos since 2017.
Paulina is a cinematographer, editor and archival researcher who joined Past Tense in 2024. She has been working in film production since 2022 and photography since 2021.
