Alejandro Amenábar Fernando Cantos (Chile, March 31, 1972), Alejandro amenábar, is a composer, writer and film director Spanish. All of her film career has developed in Spain. He has won eleven Goya Awards and an Academy Award. He has written the screenplay for his five films and he has composed almost all their soundtracks.
Biography
He is son of Josephine Cantos Madrid and the Chilean, Hugh Richard Amenábar. Now maintains dual citizenship, Chilean and Spanish. His father worked as a technician at General Electric, while his mother, Josefina, dedicated home and care for their children. Alejandro is little brothers boys; major, Richard, born December 4, 1969.
His mother was invited by his older sister, who had moved his residence to the Chilean capital, and there was where she met her husband that soon after he married.
In August 1973, two weeks before the coup d’etat of Augusto Pinochet, with only one year of life, Alejandro Amenábar family decided to emigrate to Spain and settle in Madrid.[ 1 ] Settled in a caravan camping upon arrival in the capital, but when Alexander had six years changed his residence to a complex on the outskirts of the village of Paracuellos del Jarama (Madrid).
Studies
Alejandro began his studies at the College of the Piarist fathers of Getafe. BUP second his studies he moved to Institute Alameda de Osuna in the northeast of Madrid. Initially the Institute was not corresponding to the area where resided Alexander; However, very concerned about their education parents decided to enroll him in such as centre which was known as one of the best. It is well recognized as student, so much so, that the Director of the Institute letter sent to parents the following:
Despite his age, Alexander and his brother were major consumers of television. His parents were very careful in this and his spare time devoted to film on the big screen that came from fifteen years of age. Cinema, his other passion was writing stories and read juvenile stories. According to his mother, Alexander had the capacity to absorb all that was reading. His facet as a composer is small he composed melodies with the keyboard and the guitar with the same fluidity that writing stories.
Before joining the faculty, he worked as reponedor in a store and as a gardener until you could buy a home video camera. He saw no start College of image without having previously played a camera. Therefore when he entered in the information sciences faculty at the University Complutense of Madrid and saw little practice they had students with cameras he decided to open solo learning. The positive aspects of its passage through the University was the encounter with people who later would become very important persons of his career (is the case with Sergio Rozas and Carlos Montero, on which he met Eduardo Noriega). There he also met Mateo Gil, friend and colleague, you made a pact that always would be with the other in carrying out their projects.
Film career
Between 1991 and 1995 he made 4 short films to very significantly influenced in his first feature films. Head (short), very (short) and Moon have their brothers in thesis, offshore and Open your eyes. Learn music in a self-taught way to musicalizar their short films. In 1993 she worked closely with Guillermo groizard Fernández and made music and premixtures “side of the Atlas,” short film metropolis c.e., students actually seems to be that he gave his first composition for the thesis theme mentioned short film.
José Luis Cuerda meet was a turning point in his biography. A companion of Jose Luis Cuerda, handed the “Very” short it gave its opinion. Thereafter, rope is interested in the script future dissertation (1995), and became his producer of this and the following two. “Thesis” is a thriller set in the Faculty of Sciences of the information of the University Complutense of Madrid. He got the attention of critics at the Berlin Film Festival and won 7 Goyas, including best picture and best Director new.
In 1997 made opens his eyes, a science fiction and intrigue film psychological made with considerable critical success at festivals such as Berlin and Tokyo. Impressed by the film, tom cruise acquired the rights to adapt and produced and starred in a remake, Vanilla sky.
Alejandro Amenábar produced his third feature film, the others, then-wife of actor, starring the actress nicole kidman. He was a great success and audience internationally, especially in Spain, where he was more in view of the year and also in the United States, where it remained for several weeks between the views. It premiered at the official section of the Venice Film Festival in 2001, won 8 Goya Awards including best picture and best Director, and was nominated for the European Film Academy Award for best film.
In 2004 he presented offshore, an account of the real-life tetrapléjico Ramón sampedro (played by Javier bardem), which addressed issues such as euthanasia, abortion, or “the right to a dignified life”. The film won 14 Goyas, including best picture and best Director, and an Academy Award for best film of non-English speaking in 2004.
In 2008 he prepared his next film, initially titled mists of Time and eventually calls Agora. It is star players, among others, rachel weisz and Max minghella and premiered on October 9, 2009. With a budget of EUR 50 million is the film “Spanish” most expensive in history.
Amenábar is author of the soundtrack of his films, as well as other as the language of the butterflies.
Influences
Alejandro Amenábar films shows the influence of various sources literary and cinematic, as recognized by the author on occasion. He has declared his admiration for the great filmmakers who have grown more and better gender as the thriller, suspense, intrigue or science fiction, among others, admiration of Alfred hitchcock, fritz lang, Jacques tourneur, Stanley kubrick or roman polanski.
* The inspiration for his film the others can be traced easily in another round of nut, the story of Henry James;[ 2 ]
* Thesis, thriller debut, are told you have a clear history on panic photographer from British director Michael powell;[ 3 ]
* Open your eyes are reflected in plot and narrative elements diabolical Plan, john frankenheimer, or the masterpiece of orson welles, Citizen Kane, as well as the novel by Philip k. Dick, Ubik, written 30 years earlier [appointment required].
Personal life
Amenábar has always been very discreet and jealous of their privacy. In 2004, when offshore debuts, produced her out of the closet. Spanish journals and publications echoed the director with regard to their appearance on the cover of the magazines gais Zero and Shangay, stated in an interview: ‘I don’t want nobody enters into my privacy.’ But neither I nor I want to deny an interview in any magazine and do not want to deny me to stand by the gais, I think it helps to normalize the situation and would also like not to enter the ambiguous game of Yes but no. “It is as easy as saying that you are gay and is already”.[ 4 ]
Filmography
As a producer
* 2004 – Offshore
* 2010 – The evil alien directed by oskar Santos, with a budget of € 3 million.
As director
* 1991 – La head (short)
* 1992 – The strange obsession of Doctor Morbius (short)
* 1992 – Very
* 1994 – Moon
* 1996 – Thesis
* 1997 – Open your eyes
* 2001 – Other
* 2004 – Offshore
* 2009 – Agora
As a writer
* 1991 – La head (short)
* 1992 – The strange obsession of Doctor Morbius (short)
* 1992 – Very
* 1994 – Moon
* 1996 – Thesis
* 1997 – Open your eyes
* 2001 – Other
* 2004 – Offshore
* 2009 – Agora
As an actor
* 1991 – La head (short)
* 1992 – The strange obsession of Doctor Morbius (short)
* 1992 – Very
* 1994 – Moon
* 1997 – Open your eyes (cameo)
As a composer
* 1991 – La head (short)
* 1992 – The strange obsession of Doctor Morbius (short)
* 1992 – Very
* 1994 – Moon
* 1996 – Thesis
* 1997 – Open your eyes
* 1999 – The language of the butterflies
* 2001 – Other
* 2004 – Offshore
Awards
Academy Awards
Year Category Movie Result
2005 Best non-English speaking film Offshore Winner
Golden Globe Awards
Year Category Movie Result
2005 Best non-English language film Offshore Winner
BAFTA awards
Year Category Movie Result
2001 Best original screenplay The others Nominated
Goya Awards
Year Category Movie Result
2009 Best film Agora Candidate
2009 Best director Agora Candidate
2009 Best original screenplay Agora Winner
2004 Best film Offshore Winner
2004 Best director Offshore Winner
2004 Best original screenplay Offshore Winner
2004 Best original music Offshore Winner
2001 Best film The others Winner
2001 Best director The others Winner
2001 Best original screenplay The others Winner
2001 Best original music The others Candidate
1999 Best original music The language of the butterflies Candidate
1998 Best film Open your eyes Candidate
1998 Best director Open your eyes Candidate
1998 Best original screenplay Open your eyes Candidate
1996 Best film Thesis Winner
1996 Best novel director Thesis Winner
1996 Best original screenplay Thesis Winner
European film awards
Category Movie Result
Best European film Nominated
Best European director Offshore Winner
Independent Spirit Awards
Year Category Result
2004 Best foreign language film Winner
Other awards
* In 1994 his third short film Moon receives Luis García Berlanga Award for best screenplay and best score of AICA award.
* In 1992 very wins best short at the film festivals of Elche and Carabanchel.
* In 1991 it was the award of the independent Association of amateur filmmakers (AICA) for his first short film head.
