'Filming vertically makes me nauseous': Campanella lashes out against the Instagram format

In the midst of the era of ephemeral, vertical, and "story-friendly" content, Juan José Campanella stands firm with a passionate defense of traditional cinematic language. While directing the final scenes of Parque Lezama and celebrating the return of his works to the theater, the Oscar-winning Argentine director makes it clear that filming vertically is not for him.

"It turns out everyone is scolding me because I film horizontally and not vertically, as they say you have to film for Instagram," Campanella complains in a video posted on social media. The criticism, beyond the humor, reveals a firm aesthetic stance: "The vertical format not only gives me a feeling similar to nausea, but it's also unnatural."

For the director, cinema has biological reasons for being horizontal. "Eyes see wide, nobody looks from top to bottom. The width of the visual arc goes from one side to the other," he explained, defending the panoramic frame as an extension of the way we perceive the world.

Juan José Campanella en el rack del rodaje de la película "Parque Lezama".

In the same tone, he jokes about modern technological habits: "It was very hard for those who made the phone, or those who invented Instagram, to tell people to tilt the phone instead of keeping it upright. It wouldn't have been hard at all, and it would've been much better."

Campanella's words strongly resonated among cinephiles and audiovisual creators who feel overwhelmed by the logic of algorithms and the rapid consumption of content. In times when format dictates content, the Argentine director reaffirms the idea that form matters as much as substance.

La película "El secreto de sus ojos" ganó el Oscar a mejor película extranjera hace 15 años.

Theater remains on stage

Beyond the debate about screens, Campanella continues working at full capacity. Parque Lezama, one of his most beloved productions, is entering its final stage of filming. "The filming of Parque Lezama is almost finished!" he announced enthusiastically, and immediately celebrated another piece of news: "Today, all performances of Empieza con D, Siete Letras at the Politeama resume. We look forward to seeing you!"

With that warm and enthusiastic tone that characterizes him, Campanella combines his passion for cinema with his commitment to theater, two languages that for him remain essential spaces for connection, emotion, and thought.