María Jesús "Chus" Gutiérrez (born 1962) is a Spanish director, writer, and actress. Gutiérrez has experiences of moving back and forth between Spain and the United States, which influenced her filmmaking, as her films are known for discussing topics such as immigration, globalization, and multiculturalism.

Early life

María Jesús Gutiérrez was born in

Granada Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...

in 1962. She moved to

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

with her family in 1970. She moved to London to learn English when she was 17. At the age of 21 she moved to New York to study filmmaking at Global Village, under the instruction of

Fred Barney Taylor Fred Barney Taylor (born August 25, 1948) is an American independent filmmaker. He is best known for directing ''The Polymath or, The Life and Opinions of Samuel R. Delany, Gentleman'' in 2007 which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. It wa ...

. At the age of 23, she enrolled in

The City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, City ...

CUNY , mottoeng = The education of free people is the hope of Mankind , budget = $3.6 billion , established = , type = Public university system , chancellor = Fél ...

and was admitted to the Picker Film Institute in order to continue her filmmaking education.

Career

Gutiérrez first worked with Super 8, at which she gained experiences in filmmaking in diverse areas. She formed a rap group “Xoxonees” in the late 80s. In 1987 she moved back to Spain for her group to record their album. In 1989 the group disbanded. Since the 1990s she has worked mainly as a director. However, she also acts in her own films.

Direction

Gutiérrez is known for making films with a low budget. For example, she uses hand-held camera shots and natural lighting, and she does not play with different angles but normally uses straight-on angle positions. Other than the fact that its location was New York, she managed to keep costs down in her first film ''Sublet'' (1992) by shooting indoors. ''Sexo Oral'' (1994) is said to be the cheapest Spanish film ever made. She kept its costs down by interviewing non-professional actors, and not hiring many professional actors. Her approach to problems about immigration, globalization, and multiculturalism can be frequently seen in her films. ''

Poniente A west wind is a wind that originates in the west and blows in an eastward direction. Mythology and Literature In European tradition, it has usually been considered the mildest and most favorable of the directional winds. In Greek mythology, ...

'' (2002) describes African immigration issues on Spanish identity. As a woman director, she includes a feminist approach in her film as well. In ''

Return to Hansala ''Return to Hansala'' ( es, Retorno a Hansala, links=no) is a 2008 Spanish film directed by Chus Gutiérrez which stars Farah Hamed and José Luis García Pérez. It won the Golden Pyramid Award at the 32nd Cairo International Film Festival and w ...

'' (2008) she depicts a Moroccan woman as a strong and independent character, who has her own ideas towards immigrant issues and is not scared of speaking of them in public. In addition to that, she plays with the idea of cultural "otherness" by looking at the tensions among society, religious, ethnicity, and history. Representing immigrants issues also ties with politics in the film. The film reflects how North African Muslims are seen as immigrants, and how current politics made them move away from their home land.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gutierrez, Chus Film directors from Andalusia 21st-century Spanish actresses Living people 1962 births People from Granada Spanish women screenwriters Spanish women film directors