Francisco Javier Gutiérrez

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Francisco Javier Gutiérrez Díaz is one of the most awarded and lauded fantasy genre filmmakers in Spain. His fans consider him a cult director for his works like the short films Brasil and Norman's Room, and his movie Before the fall

F. Javier Gutierrez
F. Javier Gutierrez filming Before the Fall (aka 3 Dias)
Born	Francisco Javier Gutierrez Córdoba, Andalusia, Esp

Biography

F. Javier Gutiérrez was born in Córdoba, Spain. While attending Law School he also studied acting and produced his first short films. In 2001 he founded his own film production company. With Brasil (2001) (Best Short Film in Sitges International Film Festival and Nominated for the European Golden Melies) he entered the his first international festivals where he was quickly identified as a director with a distinct personal style.

Filmography

In 2001, Gutiérrez created his own production company aiming to make films with an international reach. In 2002 he was invited by TVE program “Versión Española” to direct a piece for the series “Diminutos del Calvario II”. News of Gutiérrez’s La habitacion de Norman (Norman's Room), a claustrophobic tribute to Psycho, was published by film industry magazines in the United States. In the same year, he won the “Universal Studios” award and visit Los Angeles for the first time. In 2007, Gutiérrez received an offer from Antonio Banderas and Antonio Pérez to direct his first feature film, Before the Fall (2008) which entered the official section “Special Panorama” at the Berlin Film Festival. In the last years Gutierrez has been attached to direct several projects including James Wan's "Demonic" (Gutierrez is still attached as co-producer) and the sci-fi project "The Greys" (Gutierrez is attached as executive producer) produced by Dimension Films. Currently Gutierrez is working on the reboot of the 90's cult movie "The Crow (film)" based in James O'Barr's comic book and produced by Relativity Media and Edward R. Pressman.

Style

Gutiérrez’s stories are rich and profound. The visual style of his sets brings to memory the 1970s decade and his photography and sound are meticulous and exquisite. Apocalypse, human nature, innocence, death and violence are at the centerpiece of his works and it is his perception of these unsettling themes what divides his followers from his critics. However, most agree that as a filmmaker he has an unusual ability to stir emotions and that he is a compelling storyteller.

Before the fall

Before the fall (aka "3 Días") is Gutiérrez’s first feature film. During its premiere at the Berlin Film Festival the public booed and applauded equally. The controversy grew among the critics when Rebeca Davis from the Daily Telegraph praised the films as one of the best in the festival because

“it proves that films about armageddic meteorites crashing into the earth can be both intelligent and moving. Deep Impact it ain't^[1]”

Whereas Jay Weissberg from Variety attacked the film because of its violence, labeling it as unpleasant and inappropriate

"College-age males may get a kick, but survival chances outside Spain are slim.^[2]"

However, before its Spanish premiere at the Malaga Film Festival, the film had already been sold for distribution in several countries, including Japan, and two offers had been received for a remake in English (including one from Wes Craven).

In 2008 Before the fall became a buzz in Europe. In Spain, the film won the main awards in the most prestigious Spanish film festival, the 2008 Malaga Film Festival (including Best Motion Picture and Best Screenplay), the Miradas Award (TVE) for the Best Motion Picture of the Year and several awards and nominations in the Actors Guild of Spain and the Spain Critics Awards. In the other hand, in Europe, the film was finalist for the 2008 European Film Awards and won the main prizes in some of the most prestigious Science-Fiction and Fantasy Film Festivals (including the Silver Melies for the Best European Film in Imagine (Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival) .

In 2009, Before the fall was included in the third place in the 2008 Hollywood International Watch List.

References

Authority control	VIAF: 87957839

Persondata
Name	Gutierrez, F. Javier
Alternative names	Gutierrez Diaz, Francisco Javier
Short description	Spanish film director
Date of birth
Place of birth	Córdoba, Andalusia, Esp
Date of death
Place of death

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.