Antonio Chavarrías
Antonio Chavarrías | |
---|---|
Born |
1956 Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain |
Occupation | Film director, screenwriter, producer |
Years active | 1989-present |
Website | |
oberoncinematografica |
Antonio Chavarrías (Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, 1956) is a Spanish filmmaker, screenwriter and film producer. Some of his most recognised films are Childish Games (2012), showed in the Berlinale (2012), Celia's lives (2006), exhibited in the San Sebastián International Film Festival or You'll be back (2002), which granted him a nomination for the Goya's Awards for the Best Adapted Screenplay (2002).
As a producer Chavarrías has made several films. Many of them have been exhibited and rewarded in world renowned festivals such as Cannes, Rotterdam, Sundance or Berlin. In 1990, Antonio Chavarrías founds his film producer Oberon Cinematográfica, through which he has produced the first movies of directors such as Claudia Llosa or Marc Recha, proving his capacity to discover new talents. Claudia Llosa has won at festivals as important as Rotterdam or Berlin. She has also been nominated for an Oscar for her second feature: The milk of sorrow (2009). In the same way, Marc Recha was nominated for the Golden Palm for his film Pau and his brother (2001).
As screenwriter and director
Antonio Chavarrías is the scriptwriter and director of Childish Games (2012), a movie which was exhibited in the Official Section of the Berlin International Film Festival in 2012. This film is starred by Juan Diego Botto, Bárbara Lennie, Mágica Pérez and Nora Navas.
In 2006 Chavarrías wrote and directed Celia's lives, a drama which was showed in the Official Section of the San Sebastián International Film Festival (2006) and in the Marrakech International Film Festival (2006). The leading cast is composed of Najwa Nimri, Luis Tosar, Daniel Giménez Cacho and Aida Folch.
Chavarrías is also the screenwriter and director of You'll be back (2002), based on the Francisco Casavella's novel: A Spanish dwarf commits suicide in Las Vegas. The movie obtained the Award for Best Director in the Mar Del Plata Film Festival and gained the Ariel Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Cinematography as well. You'll be back (2002) was also nominated for the Goya's Award for the Best Adapted Screenplay.
Some others of his prominent films are Susanna (1996), Manila (1991) and A shadow in the garden (1989) for which Chavarrías has also won several awards and has participated in many festivals.
Nowadays, Antonio Chavarrías is preparing his new project: The Chosen, a historical thriller about the assassination of Leon Trotsky. It's scheduled to be filmed in early 2015 and the action will take place between Barcelona and Mexico. This new project is a co-production between Oberon Cinematográfica and Alebrije Cine y Video, a film producer directed by Mónica Lozano and known for movies such as Instructions not included (2013) or Love's a bitch (2000).
As producer
In 1990 Antonio Chavarrías founds Oberon Cinematográfica, from where he has produced over thirty films, both of their own and from other directors. Some of his most recognised productions are:
- The Milk of Sorrow (2009) by Claudia Llosa. It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2010, won the FIPRESCI Award and the Golden Bear of Berlin in 2009. In addition, this movie won several more awards: Best Film at the Montreal Festival of New Cinema, Best Film at the Bogotá Film Festival and Best Film at the Guadalajara Film Festival, all of them in 2009. So, The Milk of Sorrow has been exhibited in more than ten festivals.
- Madeinusa (2006) by Claudia Llosa. This movie won the FIPRESCI Award at the Rotterdam International Film Festival in 2006 and the Grand Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival as well. In addition, Madeinusa obtained awards such as Best Screenplay in the Cine Ceará - National Film Festival of Brazil in 2006 or the second prize for the Best First Work Award at the Lima Latin American Film Festival in 2006.
- The Fear (2013) by Jordi Cadena. It won the Gaudí Award Best Supporting Actor and was nominated for other four categories (Best Director, Best Edition, Best Screenplay and Best Cinematography) in 2014. The Fear was selected in the Seminci (International Film Week in Valladolid) in 2013 and it was awarded in the Cinéma Espagnol Film Festival in Mantes with the prizes Special Jury Mention Julio Verne and Best Film from the Young Jury.
- Elisa K (2010) by Jordi Cadena and Judith Colell. This film won the Special Jury Award at the San Sebástian International Film Festival in 2010 and obtained a Goya nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2011 as well.
- Marc Recha's movies Pau and his brother (2001) and The Cherry Tree (1998). Pau and his brother was exhibited in the Official Section of the Cannes International Film Festival in 2001, won the Best Director Award at the Premios Ondas Festival in 2001 and the FIPRESCI Award at the Riga International Film Festival in 2002. The Cherry Tree won the Critics Awards of the Catalan Screenwriters and the Writers Association at the Sitges International Film Festival in 1998 and the FIPRESCI Award at the Locarno International Film Festival in 1998 as well.
- Aro Tolbukhin. In the mind of a killer (2002) by Agustí Villaronga, Lydia Zimmermann and Isaac P. Racine won seven Ariel Awards: Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Art Design, Best Makeup and Best Visual Effects in 2003. It was also showed in the Official Section of the San Sebastián International Film Festival in 2002.
Other awards and recognitions
In 2012, the book collection Filmmakers of the Film Library of Catalonia published a book dedicated to Antonio's film career. The book was written by Elisabet Cabeza, a journalist and university processor specialized in cinema.
Antonio Chavarrías was vice president of the Spanish Academy of Arts and Cinematographic Sciences from 2000 to 2003.
- Childish Games: Official Section in the Berlin International Film Festival.
A really forceful film (...) Chavarrías leads this story through the path opened by Bayona's or Balagueró's cinema. However, he adds to the film a difficult touch of clarity or naturalness, especially because of the great job of his leading couple
E. Rodríguez Marchante: ABC Newspaper
The film director eventually leads to a realistic epilogue a horror story even more terrifying if possible (...)
Fausto Fernández: Fotogramas
A genre product done with competence and fitted with an atmosphere subtly similar to Polanski (...)
Jordi Batlle Caminal: La Vanguardia Newspaper
- Celia's lives: Official Section in the San Sebastián International Film Festival.
- Celia's lives: Official Section in the Marrakech International Film Festival.
- You'll be back: nominated for a Goya Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
- You'll be back: winner of the Best Director Award at the Mar del Plata Film Festival.
- You'll be back: winner of the Best Adapted Screenplay Award at the Ariel Film Festival.
- You'll be back: winner of the Best Edition Award at the Barcelona Film Awards.
- Susanna: Official Section in the Bruselas International Film Festival.
- Susanna: winner of the Best Director Award at the Verona Film Festival.
- Manila: winner of the Best Director of the Cinematography Award from the Government of Catalonia.
- A shadow in the garden: winner of the Best Director of the Cinematography Award from the Government of Catalonia.
- A shadow in the garden: winner of the First Work Award at the Sant Jordi's Awards.
External references
- Filmografía de Antonio Chavarrías
- Página web oficial de la productora de Antonio Chavarrías, Oberon Cinematográfica