Building myself and serving others. Construindo a mim mesmo, servindo aos outros.

about Palmer

Primary Positions: Director, Editor, Cinematographer, Filmmaking Instructor.

Palmer Durr is from Bluffton, Indiana USA. He is a film director and cinematographer who has worked in New York, Los Angeles, Mexico, Brazil, China, and Europe. He has invested over a decade with the Kayapó Indigenous Community of the Amazon Rainforest, where he directed the film “Kukràdjà” and taught film-craft to help preserve cultural tradition.

Career Highlights:

  • Palmer continues to support cultural preservation projects in the Amazon Rainforest with the Kayapó Indigenous Community. Past assignments occurred in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2022 and 2023. Palmer has led and supported multiple camera and editing classes for Kayapó filmmakers. He directed the documentary Kukràdjà with a Kayapó film crew in the summer of 2024. The production phase took 75 days in Kendjam, A’Ukre, and Pykarãrãkre villages. The post-production phase took four months, editing 3,816 hours of footage into a 71-minute feature documentary.

  • Palmer made a documentary about athletes hiking 240 miles from Sparta to Thermopylae, Greece, in May 2017. The project raised money for the Navy SEAL Foundation and Glen Doherty Memorial Foundation. He carried a camera, gimbal, drone, audio recorder, water, snacks, and nutritional supplements for 8 consecutive days hiking 30 miles per day. This work blends into veteran-related films, including World War II eyewitness stories and swimming in the English Channel to Omaha Beach.

  • Director of Photography for The Band Perry’s “Marfa Prada” series

  • Palmer Has worked with: Google, Eli Lilly, Pacers NBA Basketball, Directors Adam Shenkman & Nicole Daddona, Director Owen Thomas, Photographer Sasha Samsonova, Photographer Joe Perri, Baked Studios, Center Design Brooklyn, Bayonet Media, Jeopardy, ESPN, Sports Illustrated Kids, Goldfish, Honda, KillCliff, Bubs Naturals, and Tito’s Vodka.

Other experiences:

  • The American Society of Cinematographers Master Class Certificate (2023) Instructors: Robert Yeoman, ASC / Sandra Valde-Hansen, ASC / Polly Morgan, ASC / Steve Gainer, ASC / Michael Pessah, ASC / Michael Goi, ASC / Shelly Johnson, ASC / Charlie Lieberman, ASC

  • Pykôre Associação Indígena Certificate / Coletivo Djamtire (2022 & 2023)

  • Ball State University graduate with a Bachelor of Arts (class of 2013)

  • Successfully graduating from a 50-hour Navy SEAL training camp for civilians (Kokoro 40)


Favorite visionaries: Photographer Dorothea Lange. Cinematographers Autumn Durald Arkapaw, Bradford Young, Roger Deakins, Emmanuel Lubezki, Hoyte van Hoytema, Adam Arkapaw, and Pierre de Villiers. Directors Denis Villeneuve, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Alfonso Cuarón, Christopher Nolan, Akira Kurosawa, Wong Kar Wai, and Edward Yang. Painters Rembrandt and Edward Hopper. Writer/Professor Tolkien and Chef Thomas Civallero.

Palmer’s film work has helped raise over $300,000.00 (USD) for charity.

Film Festivals and Awards:

2025: Cannes World Film Festival Category Winner, Barcelona Planet Film Festival Award Winner, Red Movie Awards Award Winner, East Village New York Film Festival Award Winner, Athens International Art Film Festival Award Winner, BARCIFF Selection, Veneto International Film Festival, MegaFlix Movie Awards Selection, Crown Wood International Film Festival Selection, SEAiff selection, Bridge Fest Selection, Five Continents International Film Festival, Milan Gold Awards, Hollywood Gold Awards, Florence Film Awards, London Movie Awards, Paris Film Awards, Crown Point International Film Festival, The Flight Deck Film Festival, Veneto International Film Festival, Rome International Movie Awards Award Winner


2021: Vimeo Staff Pick, Fantasia Fest Selection, Beyond Fest Selection, L’Estange Selection and Grand Prix Canal+ Winner, Fifigrot Selection, SUFF Selection, Kiyav International Short Film Fest Selection, Horror Fest International Selection, Flick Fair film festival

2020: Coronado Film Festival, Jelly Fest Film Festival