Gregory Nava

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Gregory Nava

Nava on PBS
Born April 10, 1949 (1949-04-10) (age 59),
San Diego, California,
United States.
Occupation Film Director, Producer,
and Writer.
Spouse Anna Thomas,
1975-today.
Children Christopher and Tedy.

Gregory Nava (born April 10, 1949 in San Diego, California) is a film director, producer and screenplay writer, of Mexican and Basque heritage.

Nava met his future wife Anna Thomas while working on his master's degree at UCLA. They were married in 1975 and would collaborate on many projects.

They have two sons: Christopher (born 1984) and Tedy (born 1985).[1]

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Education

Nava attended film school at UCLA where he earned an MFA in 1976. At UCLA he directed the short film The Journal of Diego Rodriguez Silva (based on the life of García Lorca), and for this work, won the Best Dramatic Film Award at the National Student Film Festival.

Nava's first feature film, The Confessions of Amans, won the Best First Feature Award at the Chicago International Film Festival in 1976.

[edit] Career

Gregory Nava directs actress Melissa Leo in a A Time of Destiny.
Gregory Nava directs actress Melissa Leo in a A Time of Destiny.

Later, he came to the attention of Hollywood producers due to the success of El Norte, which garnered Nava and his wife Anna Thomas an Academy Award nomination, among other accolades, for the screenplay. In 1995 the film was registered by the Library of Congress, National Film Registry. According to Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert, "El Norte tells [the] story with astonishing visual beauty, with unashamed melodrama, with anger leavened by hope. It is a Grapes of Wrath for our time."[2]

Further collaborations with his wife Thomas include: The Confessions of Amans, A Time of Destiny, My Family, and Frida (screenplay), and other works.

Nava had further directing success in 1997 with the film Selena, starring Jennifer Lopez, who was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress.

From 2003 to 2004, Nava executive produced the television series American Family: Journey of Dreams for PBS. He also directed a few episodes.

[edit] Last project

In 2006, Nava produced, wrote, and directed the film Bordertown which made its debut at the Berlin Film Festival on February 15, 2007. The film, based on true events, is a political thriller about a series of unsolved murders in Juárez, Mexico. It stars Jennifer Lopez as a Chicago-based reporter who follows the story.[3] The film was shot in New Mexico and Mexico.

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Television

  • The 20th Century: American Tapestry (1999, Documentary)
  • American Family: Journey of Dreams (2002-2004)

[edit] Awards

Wins

Nominations

[edit] Films

Cover Information
The Confessions of Amans
El Norte
A Time of Destiny
My Family
  • Released: May 3, 1995
  • U.S. sales: $11 million
  • Worldwide sales:
Selena
  • Released: March 21, 1997
  • U.S. sales: $35.5 million
  • Worldwide sales:
Why Do Fools Fall in Love
Bordertown

[edit] References

  1. ^ Gregory Nava at the Internet Movie Database.
  2. ^ Ebert, Roger. Chicago Sun-Times, film review, August 1, 2004. Last accessed: 1/14/07.
  3. ^ Santiago, Soledad. The Free New Mexican article, December 2, 2006.

[edit] External links


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Films directed by Gregory Nava
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