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Transmission from Mexico City · 19.43°N 99.13°W

Signs of life in every story.

We make documentaries and photographs about people whose stories rarely reach the screen. Most of them begin with a cleft lip and palate, and end somewhere much bigger.

See the stories Watch the reel
Ashley Barbour faces the camera, a line of gold over her scar Ashley Barbour · @cleftloveig Frame 01 · Kintsugi · Ypsilanti, Michigan · 2026© 2026 Guillermo Carrillo · Grey Alien Films

Stories of cleft lip and palate

All stories
A girl in an embroidered blouse holds the camera's gaze Personal project · Tess Unlimited · 2025–2026

Kintsugi

Portraits that honor the scar instead of hiding it, traced in gold. A blue shawl over an embroidered huipil Editorial · Tess Unlimited · 2026

Cleft Fashion

Teenagers born with a cleft lip and palate, front and center in the language of high fashion. A Kintsugi portrait on screen, with live music Tess Unlimited · La Antigua Guatemala · 2025–2026

It’s our Birthday

Eighteen years of Tess Unlimited, and everything on screen that night. Jennifer and a friend, a hug in the mountains Tess Unlimited · Huehuetenango · 2025

Jennifer

A school, a football game and the mountains of Huehuetenango. Lidia, a still from her documentary Tess Unlimited · Guatemala · 2026

Lidia Pérez

Seven minutes with a young woman who inspires everyone around her. Justin LongLidia BastianichR'Bonney Gabriel, Morgan Romano and Faron MedhiCatriona Gray Smile Train · Collection · Mexico and Central America

Visits and films

Clinics, kitchens and family homes, photographed and filmed.

In front of our camera

People who trusted us with their story
Tessa de Goede

Tessa de Goede

Founder of Tess Unlimited La Antigua Guatemala Ashley Barbour

Ashley Barbour

Cleft lip and palate advocate · Love Meets Joy podcast Kintsugi · Ypsilanti, Michigan · 2026 Kate Bosworth

Kate Bosworth

Actor Smile Train · Mexico City · 2024 Justin Long

Justin Long

Actor Smile Train · Mexico City · 2024 Charlotte Flair

Charlotte Flair

Professional wrestler, WWE Smile Train · Mexico City · 2023 Lidia Bastianich

Lidia Bastianich

Chef, author and TV host Smile Train · Toluca · 2025 Catriona Gray

Catriona Gray

Miss Universe 2018 Smile Train · Mexico City · 2024 R'Bonney Gabriel, Morgan Romano and Faron Medhi

R'Bonney Gabriel, Morgan Romano and Faron Medhi

Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA 2022 Smile Train · Guatemala · 2023 Andrea Meza

Andrea Meza

Miss Universe 2020 Smile Train · Mexico City · 2024 Analy Castro

Analy Castro

Actor Portraits · Mexico City

Portraits light, water, movement

Ten sessions
Red and blue light, black dress Arms framing his head, in black and white Reclining together, in black and white Upside down on the earth Reclining in the dark, in black and white Arms overhead in pink and blue light

What we do

Film

Documentary

Human stories that create real change, from research and interviews to final color.

Still

Portraits and artistic photography

Sessions with dancers, actors and models, and personal series made to be printed large.

Impact

Social impact stories

Photo and film for nonprofits and NGOs on health, dignity and change, told with the consent and voice of the people in it.

Live

Events and live production

Live streams, event coverage, films for the stage and motion graphics.

Who we've worked with
Smile TrainTess Unlimited
Guillermo Carrillo filming with a cinema camera
Studio

An outsider's eye, a human heart.

Grey Alien Films is the studio of Guillermo Carrillo, documentary filmmaker and photographer based in Mexico City.

The grey alien is how we work: we arrive from outside, watch with curiosity and without judgment, and look for signs of life. The people in front of the camera decide what their story is; we make sure it looks like cinema.

Photo and film · Mexico and Guatemala · English and Spanish

Contact

Let's make contact.

Tell us about the story you want to tell. We answer every message ourselves.

Email
guillermo@greyalienfilms.com
Instagram
@grey.alien.films
Studio
Mexico City