Ernesto Leistenschneider

Biography:

Ernesto Leistenschneider (1925-2019) was a German-born filmmaker, journalist, businessman, and collector. He studied medicine and cinematography in Europe and later emigrated to Peru. He was the founder and manager of Lima Films, one of the most important film and television production companies in Peru. He oversaw the production of approximately 350 newsreels and 120 documentaries from 1955 to 1982. He was also the executive producer of renowned Peruvian films such as "Túpac Amaru." While exploring and documenting the country, he began discovering pre-Columbian tools and artifacts related to science and technology, leading him to amass a collection of over 17,000 pieces, considered one of the most important collections of pre-Columbian science in the world, which was exhibited internationally. Among other things, his collection was presented in the exhibition “Comparative Technology: Two Thousand Years Transforming the World” organized by the Science Museum – CosmoCaixa in Madrid and Barcelona. He was also president of the Film Committee of the National Society of Industries.