At just 24 years old, up and coming director Cuba Tornado Scott has already evolved a unique and boundary-defying sensibility that has her seeking out projects across platforms and genres. “Most of the information that I interact with is shared amongst peers on a story line via Instagram or some other social platform,” says Cuba. “The way we influence each other these days is undefinable, the way we influence brands is undefinable. I’m in the undefined territory, it is where my generation feels most comfortable.”

Already an accomplished illustrator and equestrian, Cuba began working in fashion at age 16, modeling for photographers Mario Testino, Michel Comte, Patrick Demarchelier, Fabien Baron, and Bruce Weber. For her own visual art project “Under the Influence of Bacon,” she used makeup, lighting and set design to transform herself into Francis Bacon paintings. The resulting images (shot by Malik Sayeed) were accompanied by Cuba’s illustrations, and were featured in the poster book Chaos SixtyNine.

Cuba’s art-driven sensibility carried over into her work as a director, first evidenced in her whimsical short film “9 1/2” for Fairmont Hotels which premiered at TIFF in 2018. She went on to direct and shoot behind the scenes documentary films for The Last Duel and House of Gucci (for which she also shot the on-set stills and poster images). She has also assisted director/cinematographer Malik Hassan Sayeed as both a 2nd unit director of photography and stills photographer.

Her background as a storyboard artist and illustrator means that she approaches every film project with a discerning eye and a clear vision for how to see it through.“I am very visually driven, but the images have to be justified and earned,” says Cuba. A multi-hyphenate artist in the truest sense, Cuba’s wide-ranging passions continue to inform her work (let’s just say that she’s done everything from cooking under renowned Argentine chef Francis Mallmann to competing as a high level equestrian show jumper!). Her latest endeavor involves an in-depth study of animal behavior, focusing on horses and dogs.