Sebastián Cordero Espinosa (; born 23 May 1972) is an

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

ian film director, screenwriter and editor, often recognized for his work in '' Ratas, Ratones, Rateros'' (1999), ''

Crónicas ''Crónicas'' ("chronicles") is a 2004 Ecuadorian thriller film, written and directed by Sebastián Cordero. The film was produced by, among others, Guillermo del Toro, director of ''Pan's Labyrinth'', and Alfonso Cuarón, director of '' Chi ...

'' (2004), and '' Europa Report'' (2013). His films have been exhibited in festivals such as the Sundance Film Festival and

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

among others.

Career

He first became interested in

filmmaking Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, cast ...

when he saw '' Raiders of the Lost Ark'' at the age of 9. At the age of 18 he began his studies in film and script making in the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

. After his graduation he moved back to Ecuador with the idea of filmmaking in a country where there was practically no movie industry. His first movie, '' Ratas, Ratones, Rateros'' (1999), which portrays the life in a poverty-stricken

, led to his first appearance at

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...

. It later appeared in film festivals such as

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, San Sebastián and

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, and been recognized with awards and honors at Huelva and La Habana film festivals. His second film, ''

'', was recognized with the Sundance/NHK International Filmmakers Award, and first appeared at Cannes in the

Un Certain Regard (, meaning 'a certain glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob. The section presents 20 films w ...

section in 2004, and was nominated to the

Grand Jury Prize A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upo ...

at Sundance Film Festival. He was attached to direct the motion picture ''Manhunt'' that tells the story of what occurred in the lapse of the 48 hours that followed the assassination of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

and was to star Harrison Ford. The project was later cancelled. Sebastian Cordero at 2017 MIFF

Rabia, his third film, was filmed in Spain. It is based on a novel from the writer Sergio Bizzio. His fourth film ''Pescador'', filmed once again in Ecuador, was released in 2011. '' Europa Report'' was Cordero's first full English language film. The film was shot over the course of 18 days in Brooklyn in 2011. ''Europa Report'' was officially launched with a screening at the

Hayden Planetarium The Rose Center for Earth and Space is a part of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The Center's complete name is The Frederick Phineas and Sandra Priest Rose Center for Earth and Space. The main entrance is located on the n ...

on August 1, 2013, and was released on demand and in theaters a day later. He finished development of his sixth film, ''

Such is Life in the Tropics ''Such Is Life in the Tropics'' ( es, Sin Muertos No Hay Carnaval) is a 2016 Ecuadorian thriller film directed by Sebastián Cordero. It was selected as the Ecuadorian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards but it w ...

'' in 2016.

Filmography

*'' Ratas, Ratones, Rateros'' (1999) *''

'' (2004) *''Rabia'' (2009) *''Pescador'' (s2011) *'' Europa Report'' (2013) *''

'' (2016)

References

External links

*
HESO Interview with Sebastián Cordero and Martina García
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cordero, Sebastian 1972 births Living people Ecuadorian film directors People from Quito