Aaron “AJ” Nunes-Zaller is an educator, independent filmmaker, and community-engaged learner whose work is grounded in humanizing the world. He has decades of experience teaching and studying cultural, political, and social paradigms, and his background is genuinely interdisciplinary.
He is a storyteller who uses filmmaking to engage people in meaningful discourse on critical issues. Some of his films include La Rutina, which captures the faces of the Puebla, Mexico’s UPVA 28 de Octubre Marketplace, through the eyes of a breadmaker. Goin’ Down South is a mini-documentary that captures a multi-day series of concerts, lectures, and panels based on Clarksdale, Mississippi. AJ’s work focuses on amplifying marginalized communities’ voices, equipping them with the tools and skills necessary to tell their stories. Through these efforts, he uses documentary storytelling as a powerful justice and community-building medium. He has trained and taught multiple videography workshops, most recently for the Goldin Institute.
AJ serves as a videographer, teacher, mentor, and advocate with the New Image Youth Center in Parramore, Orlando. He has captured critical moments and experiences with the youth in these roles and co-created the ongoing NIYC@FGCU Embedded College Program.
Over the last several years, AJ has contributed to developing and applying the civic design framework (MIT) through multiple programs. He has co-presented at conferences and facilitated workshops related to the applications.
His collective body of work symbolizes a dedication to co-creation using visual storytelling as a means of social innovation, engagement, and community empowerment.