Carlos Saura

Carlos Saura

Carlos Saura in Calanda (2008)
Born Carlos Saura Atarés
4 January 1932
Huesca, Spain
Occupation Film director, screenwriter, photographer
Years active 1955–present
Notable work
Relatives Antonio Saura (brother)

Carlos Saura Atarés (born 4 January 1932, Huesca) is a Spanish film director and photographer from Aragon.

Early life

Born into a family of artists (his mother was a pianist and his brother, Antonio Saura, a painter), he developed his artistic sense in childhood as a photography enthusiast.

He obtained his directing diploma in Madrid in 1957 at the Institute of Cinema Research and Studies. He also taught there until 1963.

Career

In 1957-1958, Saura created his first film (Cuenca). In 1962 his film Los Golfos was recognized for its strong sociological impact in the betterment of the Spanish youth by tackling juvenile delinquency in Madrid's poorest districts. Four years later (1966), he was honored at the 16th Berlin International Film Festival, where he received the Silver Bear for Best Director for his film La caza.[1] In 1967, his film Peppermint Frappé also received the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 18th Berlin International Film Festival.[2] He won the Golden Bear in 1981 at the 31st Berlin International Film Festival for his film Deprisa, Deprisa.[3]

The films La prima Angélica (Cousin Angélica) of 1973 and Cría cuervos (Raising Ravens [from the Spanish phrase: Cria cuervos y te sacaran los ojos (Raise ravens and they will peck out your eyes)]) of 1975 received the special prize of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival. His film Mama cumple 100 años (Mom is celebrating her 100 years) was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 52nd Academy Awards.[4]

Saura has become known for making movies featuring traditional flamenco and other Spanish dances. His Flamenco Trilogy of the 1980s includes Bodas de Sangre (Blood Wedding), Carmen, and El amor brujo featuring the work of Spanish flamenco dancer Cristina Hoyos. He later made the movies Flamenco (1995), Tango (1998), and Fados (2007).

His 1989 film La noche oscura was entered into the 39th Berlin International Film Festival.[5]

Saura in 2002.

Saura considers his film on surrealist master Luis Buñuel to be his best cinematic work. In an interview to an online film magazine,[6] he says about Buñuel y la mesa del rey Salomón (Buñuel and the table of King Solomon -2001): “That’s the greatest film I’ve ever made. I like the film but nobody else seems to like it. I’m sure Buñuel would have loved this film. But perhaps only he would have loved it. Everything you see in the film is actually based on conversations I had with him.”

In 1990, he received the Goya Award for the best director and best script for ¡Ay, Carmela!. He was chosen as director for the official film of the 1992 Olympic Games of Barcelona, Marathon (1993).

In 2008, Carlos Saura was honoured with a Global Life Time Achievement Award at the 10th Mumbai International Film Festival, organized by the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image.[7]

In 2013, he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 18th International Film Festival of Kerala.[8]

Personal life

Carlos Saura was married twice. He first married Adela Medrano in Barcelona in 1957. They had two sons, Carlos (b. 1958) and Antonio (b. 1960). On 27 December 1982 he married Mercedes Pérez. They had three sons, Manuel (b. 1980), Adrián (b. 1984) and Diego (b. 1987).

Between marriages, Saura had at least one known son, Shane (b. 1974), by the actress Geraldine Chaplin. His relationship history led some to believe he may have fathered more children. After his second marriage, he was also the father of a daughter named Ana (b. December 1994) by Eulalia Ramón.

Filmography

The Hunt (1965)

1950s

  • 1955 : Flamenco (short film)
  • 1956 : El Pequeño río Manzanares (short film)
  • 1957 : La Tarde del domingo (short film)
  • 1958 : Cuenca
  • 1959 : Los golfos

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

  • 1990 : Ay Carmela
  • 1992 : El Sur
  • 1992 : Marathon
  • 1992 : Sevillanas
  • 1993 : ¡Dispara!
  • 1995 : Flamenco[9]
  • 1997 : Taxi
  • 1997 : Pajarico
  • 1998 : Tango
  • 1999 : Goya en Burdeos

2000s

  • 2001 : Buñuel y la mesa del rey Salomón
  • 2002 : Salomé
  • 2004 : El séptimo día
  • 2005 : Iberia
  • 2007 : Fados
  • 2008 : Sinfonía de Aragón (short film)
  • 2009 : Io, Don Giovanni
  • 2010 : Flamenco, Flamenco

2010s

  • 2015 : Zonda, folclore argentino
  • 2016 : 33 días (pre-production)

Selected awards and nominations

La prima Angélica (1973)

Academy Awards

BAFTA Award

Berlin Film Festival

Camerimage

Cannes Film Festival

European Film Awards

Golden Globe Awards

Goya Awards

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

Montréal World Film Festival

San Sebastián International Film Festival

Venice Film Festival

Other awards and honours

Cinema Writers Circle Awards, Spain
Sant Jordi Awards

References

  1. ↑ "Berlinale: 1966 Prize Winners". berlinale.de. Retrieved 2010-02-23.
  2. ↑ "Berlinale: 1968 Prize Winners". berlinale.de. Retrieved 2010-03-05.
  3. ↑ "Berlinale: 1981 Prize Winners". berlinale.de. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  4. ↑ "The 52nd Academy Awards (1980) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 2013-06-08.
  5. ↑ "Berlinale: 1989 Programme". berlinale.de. Retrieved 2011-03-13.
  6. ↑ "Camera is My Memory: Carlos Saura". DearCinema.com, 2008-04-16. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
  7. ↑ "Spanish director Carlos Saura to get Lifetime Achievement Award at Mumbai Fest". DearCinema.com, 2008-02-22. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
  8. ↑ "IFFK award for Spanish filmmaker". The Hindu, 2013-11-02. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
  9. ↑ Silvia Calado: Carlos Saura, director of ‘Flamenco’ Interview: “I struggle to open up new and daring pathways for flamenco”. Flamenco-World.com, May 2005. Retrieved 26 January 2014.

External links