It’s only been five years since he graduated from Niagara College, but Andrés Coimbra Castedo is ahead of the game. His name has already graced the credits of an Oscar-winning film — and now he’s taking centre stage among the top college graduates in Ontario.
The 26-year-old Niagara College game development graduate, who is a lighting artist for Herne Hill Media and worked on the Oscar-winning film “Pinocchio,” is the winner of this year’s prestigious Premier’s Award in the Recent Graduate category.
Winners were announced at Colleges Ontario’s Premier’s Awards Gala, held on the evening of Nov. 25 in Toronto.
“I am completely honoured. This is a great opportunity that I’m very thankful for,” said Coimbra, who is a St. Catharines resident.
“I want to thank Niagara College for giving me my education, the foundation for my career. I want to thank my industry colleagues who gave me a chance to start in this industry and join in this project that was ‘Pinocchio’ and, above all else, I want to thank my mother for believing in me and being there with me.”
“Our college community is tremendously proud of Andrés, whose remarkable journey illuminates what Ontario college graduates can achieve when they go the distance to pursue their dreams,” said college president Sean Kennedy.
“As a (Niagara College) Alumni of Excellence, Andrés is a shining example of the significant impact our (college) graduates have on their industries in Niagara, across Canada and around the world.”
The award was deeply meaningful for Coimbra, who has been going the distance to pursue his career dreams.
Originally from Bolivia, Coimbra and his mother immigrated to Canada in 2011, first to New Brunswick, and then to southern Ontario to follow his career aspirations.
He enrolled at Niagara College after high school, drawn to the college’s three-year game development program.
“It means a lot … I am an immigrant. I came here when I was 13 years old in search for accomplishing my career goals,” he said.
“To be recognized in this way means the decision to come to Canada was definitely the right decision, and all the efforts that we made, they were worth it.”
While at Niagara College, Coimbra and a team of classmates co-created a video game for their capstone project — “The Fallen” —that was published on Steam.
He developed a love for lighting characters, VFX and set pieces in movies and games, and discovered his passion for lighting scenes in animated films.
Just a few years after graduating, a film he worked on as a lighting artist, Guillermo del Toro’s “Pinocchio,” won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2023.
Castedo now works for a Toronto VFX studio producing films for high-profile Hollywood clients. Looking back on his journey, he is thankful for his experience at Niagara College.
“The best thing the college gave me were the professors — they really guided me. They saw that I had potential and they took the time to mentor me, not only during the time that I was in College but also afterwards, and that guidance was invaluable to me,” he said.
“I am forever grateful to the college for giving me all the opportunities, all the people that I’ve met there, my friends, all the people that became my coworkers later too.”
Coimbra was among seven Niagara College Alumni of Excellence who were nominated for this year’s Premier’s Awards.
He is the ninth graduate of Niagara College to win a Premier’s Award since the awards were launched in 1992. Previous Niagara College alumni winners include:
- 2022: Journalist Murray Brewster (Broadcasting – Radio, Television and Film grad, 1985), and founder of Erica’s Embrace, Erica Williams (Social Service Worker grad, 2018);
- 2014: Royal Canadian Navy Capt. Rebecca Patterson (Nursing grad, 1987);
- 2012: David Pratt (Greenhouse Technician grad, 2007);
- 2011: Jerry Howell (Computer Engineering Technology grad, 1988);
- 2008: Jordan Harris (Winery and Viticulture Technician grad, 2004);
- 2003: Heather Kilty (Social Welfare Worker grad, 1969); and
- 1995: Carol Alaimo (Journalism-Print grad, 1984).
