Cookie Estés is a Cuban-American filmmaker and video editor from Chicago. Since graduating from DePaul University’s School of Cinematic Arts in 2020, this storyteller has been editing music videos, reviewing films at international festivals, and managing a non-profit comedy club on the weekends. 

As an editor and camera operator at Audiotree Studios, Cookie primarily tackles post-production for live studio sessions and concerts from the initial multi-camera edit through to color grading, motion graphics, and social media cutdowns. In just two years, they have edited 100+ sessions that have amassed 3M+ views across socials, as well as honed the unique skill of real-time editing live-streamed events such as awards ceremonies in arenas & stage concerts in historic venues. 

Their directorial debut Split Ends opened for a Guillermo del Toro retrospective at the Gene Siskel Film Center and was an official selection at the Chicago Latino Film Festival. Other films they edited have screened at museums such as The Art Institute of Chicago and premiered at festivals such as Athens Int’l Film + Video Fest. 

In addition to their editorial work, Cookie has built a Letterboxd readership of over 10,000 followers by writing accessible, thoughtful film reviews, and has also kept up a biweekly newsletter analyzing cinema trends on Substack. These outlets, which began as simple writing disciplines, have led Cookie around the globe doing press coverage for internationally-renowned film festivals such as Cannes, Sundance, and Toronto Int’l Film Festival.