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Chava Cartas

Chava Cartas

Director and cinematographer · Born September 15, 1971 (55) · Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

Director, photographer and screenwriter. He spent his childhood in Durango, where his mother was the state's production coordinator. During this period, photographer Alex Phillips Jr., a friend of his parents, gave him a VHS camera, with which he made his first recordings in the company of other children. After finishing high school, he tries four times, unsuccessfully, to enter the CCC and once the CUEC. He moved to Guadalajara where he worked as a photographer for video commercials and studied photography, specializing in Erotic Still Photography, at the Hospicio Cabañas (1992-1993). Later he participates in a film workshop at the San Antonio de los Baños Film School, Cuba (1998). "Chava" Cartas began in the television industry as director of photography in the soap operas "Nada Personal"/1996 and "Demasiado Corazón"/1997, for Argos. He entered the film industry with the short film Lucero/1996, which he directed and photographed. His work as a photographer and director is linked to filmmaker Fernando Sariñana, who produced and directed many of the works in which he participated as a photographer.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
September 15, 1971 (55)
From
Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Works as
Director and cinematographer
Titles
20 on MovieCove · 31 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 156 days to Oct 27Up 43% in 30 days

What are Chava Cartas' films like?

Across their 19 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy11 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 32nd percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 63rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 66th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
27%
Self
20%
Survival
18%
Society
16%
Morality
9%
Power
9%
Ideas
1%
Community5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeViolence3 titles, browse their movies with this themeClass3 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 17 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 11 · Serious 3 · Dark 3

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 13 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 9 · Charged 4 · Intense 4

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 10 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 6

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 10 · Relentless 2

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 13 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 1

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 15 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
8
Tense
6
Warm
6
Hopeful
6
Melancholic
6
Other
17

How their films linger

Feel-good10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy11
  • Bittersweet4
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Chava Cartas' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 19 of their 20 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

  • ViX13 titles

Subscription and free streaming for Chava Cartas' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

31 credits, 20 with a MovieCove page.

  • Facing El Chapo(2026)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Mirreyes vs Godínez: Christmas(2025)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Borrón y Vida Nueva(2025)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Mirreyes contra Godínez: Las Vegas(2025)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Our Times(2025)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Contraataque(2025)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • El gallo de oro(2023)

    Show 20 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows

  • Sobreviviendo Mis XV(2023)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Paréntesis (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Cinematographer

  • MexZombies(2022)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Mirreyes contra Godinez 2(2022)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Mirreyes vs Godínez: Home Office(2020)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Mirreyes contra Godínez(2019)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Tenants (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Director

  • Solos en casa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Director

  • Rosario Tijeras(2016)

    Show 60 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • Thirty, Single and Fantastic(2016)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • The Dandy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Show 70 episodes · Director · Creator

  • Miss Dynamite (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Show Creator

  • Una Vez Más (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Director

  • Gossip Girl: Acapulco(2013)

    Show Director

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all shows

  • El equipo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Show 15 episodes · Director

  • Rock Marí (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Killer Women (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Show 40 episodes · Director

  • Bad Girls(2007)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Amor Xtremo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Director

  • Sex, Love And Other Perversions II (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Director · Cinematographer

  • Cero y van 4(2004)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Amar te duele(2002)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Ciudades oscuras(2002)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Never Too Young to Dream(2001)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 29 titles from 2001 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Mirreyes contra Godínez (2019)

$12M worldwide

Highest rated

Amar te duele (2002)

Midcredits 83rd

Most popular right now

Facing El Chapo (2026)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing23 of 29: 20 only directing, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score33rdWriting1 of 29: 0 only writing, 1 with another roleCinematography6 of 29: 5 only cinematography, 1 with another roleOther crew2 of 29: 1 only other crew, 1 with another role

29 titles, 3 with more than one role — directing and cinematography overlap on 1 of them.

By decade

2000s7 · crew2010s10 · crew2020s12 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Chava Cartas' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 35th percentile, the median of all 17; across their 17 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 49th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

49thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Approval · how many liked their films

26thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Reach · how many have seen their films

63rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Midcredits score across 20 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th9
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

15 of their 20 titles are Mixed.

  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser2
  • Mixed15

Most divisive · director

Gossip Girl: Acapulco (2013)

98th percentile spread · 40% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

Amar te duele (2002)

Midcredits 83rd · 66% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 59/100 and the pacing 52/100 in their films, across 9 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Chava Cartas' work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 47 · moderateMedian of all films: 32

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Chava Cartas work with?

People who share at least 2 of Chava Cartas' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Francisco González Compeán shares the most, 14.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers