Adolfo Aristarain
Adolfo Aristarain (born October 19, 1943) is an Argentine film director and screenwriter who is famous for his filmic sophistication and subtle examination of issues of political oppression. Variety has deemed him "a master filmmaker."[1]
Adolfo Aristarain | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 19, 1943 |
Biography
Aristarain was born in Buenos Aires. After leaving Argentina, he started working as assistant director in the Arcente cinema, and then in Europe during his short exile for Mario Camus, Giorgio Stegani and Lewis Gilbert before returning to Argentina in 1974, following the death of Argentine president Juan Perón. His first 3 films did not receive favorable reviews, but in 1981 Tiempo de revancha received both critical acclaim and public success. Released in the midst of the so-called Guerra Sucia ("Dirty War") when Argentina was ruled by a military dictatorship, the film had strong political undercurrents but faced few problems from censors. As Aristarain would later explain, he initially included long, unnecessary sex scenes in the film, "so the censors took five days and questioned things—not politics or ideology but sex. All I had to do was cut a few frames at the end of some scenes, like one of a strip tease. It doesn't hurt the scenes—especially if you made them longer than they should have been."[2]
Back in Spain he directed a mini-series for television, and after a series of aborted projects he had renewed success in Argentina: Un Lugar en el Mundo, starring Federico Luppi, with whom he has maintained frequent collaboration. He then filmed La Ley de la frontera and Martín (hache) in Spain, also starring Luppi. Aristarain continued with his Argentine-Spanish mixture of actors in Lugares comunes and Roma.
Aristarain wrote all the scripts of his directed movies with the exception of the Columbia Pictures release The Stranger, which was written by American screenwriter Dan Gurskis.[3]
He has received numerous awards for his work, including Golden Seashell and an Academy Award nomination for Un Lugar en el mundo, Best Director award at the Havana Film Festival, and Golden Seashell nomination for Martín (Hache), the First Prize at the Havana Film Festival and the Grand Prix des Amériques award at the Montréal World Film Festival for Tiempo de revancha.
The Academy Award Nomination was disqualified by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences because the film was submitted for consideration (for Best Foreign Movie) by Uruguay (his wife's country) while The Academy claimed it was an Argentine production, and should therefore have been submitted by that country.[4]
Aristarain has worked many times with several, notable actors, such as Federico Luppi (7 times), Julio de Grazia (4 times), Cecilia Roth (3 times), Ricardo Darín (3 times) and Ulises Dumont (2 times). He has held Spanish Citizenship since 2003.
Filmography
- La parte del león (1978)
- La playa del amor (1979)
- La discoteca del amor (1980)
- Tiempo de revancha (1981)
- Últimos días de la víctima (1982)
- The Stranger (1987)
- Un lugar en el mundo (1991)
- La Ley de la frontera (1995)
- Martín (hache) (1997)
- Lugares comunes (2002)
- Roma (2004)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Argentinean Film Critics Association Awards | Best Screenplay | Tiempo de revancha | Won |
| Best Director | Won | |||
| Chicago International Film Festival | Best Feature | Nominated | ||
| Havana Film Festival | Grand Coral - First Prize | Won | ||
| Montréal World Film Festival | Grand Prix Award | Won | ||
| Huelva Latin American Film Festival | Golden Colon | Últimos días de la víctima | Won | |
| Mystfest | Best Film | Nominated | ||
| Best Screenplay | Won | |||
| 1983 | Argentinean Film Critics Association Awards | Best Screenplay | Won | |
| Best Director | Won | |||
| 1984 | Cognac Festival du Film Policier | Critics Award | Tiempo de revancha | Won |
| 1992 | Nantes Three Continents Festival | Audience Award | A Place in the World | Won |
| San Sebastián International Film Festival | Golden Seashell | Won | ||
| OCIC Award | Won | |||
| 1993 | Argentinean Film Critics Association Awards | Best Screenplay | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Won | |||
| Fribourg International Film Festival | Audience Award | Won | ||
| Goya Awards | Best Spanish Film | Won | ||
| Gramado Film Festival | Best Latin Film | Won | ||
| Ondas Awards | Best Director | Won | ||
| Turia Awards | Best Foreign Film | Won | ||
| 1996 | Argentinean Film Critics Association Awards | Best Screenplay | La ley de la frontera | Nominated |
| Best Director | Nominated | |||
| 1997 | Havana Film Festival | Audience Award | Martin (Hache) | Nominated |
| Grand Coral - First Prize | Won | |||
| Best Director | Won | |||
| San Sebastián International Film Festival | Golden Seashell | Nominated | ||
| 1998 | Argentinean Film Critics Association Awards | Best Director | Won | |
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | |||
| Butaca Awards | Best Art House Film | Nominated | ||
| Fribourg International Film Festival | Award of the Pestalozzi Foundation | Won | ||
| Goya Awards | Best Director | Nominated | ||
| Oslo Films from the South Festival | Audience Award | Won | ||
| Valdivia International Film Festival | Audience Award | Won | ||
| 2002 | Huelva Latin American Film Festival | Prize of the City of Huelva | Won | |
| Havana Film Festival | Vigia Award | Common Ground | Won | |
| OCIC Award | Won | |||
| Glauber Rocha Award | Won | |||
| San Sebastián International Film Festival | Golden Seashell | Nominated | ||
| Best Screenplay | Won | |||
| 2003 | Argentinean Film Critics Association Awards | Best Director | Nominated | |
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | |||
| Cinema Writers Circle Awards | Best Screenplay | Nominated | ||
| Fribourg International Film Festival | Grand Prix Award | Nominated | ||
| Audience Award | Won | |||
| Goya Awards | Best Screenplay | Won | ||
| Gramado Film Festival | Best Film | Nominated | ||
| 2004 | Cartagena Film Festival | Best Film | Nominated | |
| Havana Film Festival | Best Screenplay | Roma | Won | |
| Audience Award | Won | |||
| San Sebastián International Film Festival | Golden Seashell | Nominated | ||
| 2005 | Argentinean Film Critics Association Awards | Best Director | Won | |
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | |||
| Goya Awards | Best Director | Nominated | ||
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | |||
| Toulouse Cinespaña | Best Screenplay | Won | ||
| Violette d"or | Won |
References
- ^ Koehler, Robert (2006-12-14). "Filmmakers examine maternal heroines". Variety. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
- ^ Raznovich, Diana (2002). Defiant Acts. Bucknell University Press. p. 38.
- ^ "The Stranger (1987)". imdb.com. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
- ^ LaSalle, Mick (1995-07-21). "FILM REVIEW -- A Lovely `Place' in a Boy's Heart". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
External links
- Adolfo Aristarain at IMDb
- Pantalla (in Spanish)
- Diagonal (in Spanish)