Fabián Bielinsky (3 February 1959 – 29 June 2006) was an

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

Career

Fabián Bielinsky was born in

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 ...

on February 3, 1959. Bielinsky started to make films early in life, while still a high school student in the

Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires (''National School of Buenos Aires'') is a public high school in Buenos Aires, Argentina, affiliated to the University of Buenos Aires. In the tradition of the European ''gymnasium'' it provides a free education ...

. At thirteen years old, he made his first short film, based on the short story ''Continuity of the Parks'' by

Julio Cortázar Julio Florencio Cortázar (26 August 1914 – 12 February 1984; ) was an Argentine, nationalized French novelist, short story writer, essayist, and translator. Known as one of the founders of the Latin American Boom, Cortázar influenced an ent ...

. After graduation from high school, Bielinsky started studying psychology, a career he pursued for a short time before dropping out in favor of enrolling in the Centro de Experimentacion y Realizacion Cinematografica (CERC, actually ENERC,

INCAA The National Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts ( es, Instituto Nacional de Cine y Artes Audiovisuales, INCAA; also referred to as the Argentine National Film Board) is an agency of the Government of Argentina. It promotes the Argentine ...

's film school). He graduated in 1983 with a short film called '' La espera'', based on a story by

Jorge Luis Borges Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo (; ; 24 August 1899 – 14 June 1986) was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator, as well as a key figure in Spanish-language and international literature. His best-known bo ...

. The short also earned him a prize at the Huesca International Film Festival in Spain. Bielinsky entered the film industry around 1983 as an

assistant director The role of an assistant director on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have to tak ...

, working under such filmmakers as Miguel Pérez,

Carlos Soria Carlos Ernesto Soria (March 1, 1949January 1, 2012) was an Argentine lawyer and Justicialist Party politician. He died in the early hours of January 1, 2012, from a gunshot wound, at his farm, after the New Year celebrations. Soria was the govern ...

and

Eliseo Subiela Eliseo Alberto Subiela (December 27, 1944 – December 25, 2016) was an Argentine film director and writer. His works are considered to be in the ' magic realism' genre. Subiela was the father of actress, Guadalupe Subiela (who acted in her f ...

. He also worked on a Mégane commercial that Wim Wenders was filming in Argentina. Beilinsky wrote the script for the 1998 film ''La sonámbula, recuerdos del futuro'' (released abroad as ''Sleepwalker''), directed by Fernando Spiner. Bielinsky directed his first film, ''

Nine Queens ''Nueve Reinas'' () is a 2000 Argentinian crime film written and directed by Fabián Bielinsky. It stars Ricardo Darín, Gastón Pauls, and Leticia Brédice. In the film, con artists Marcos (Darín) and Juan (Pauls) unexpectedly team up to sell ...

'' ( es, Nueve reinas) in 2000, a crime thriller about a scam involving forged stamps. The film was very successful both in Argentina and abroad, and earned seven

Silver Condor The Argentine Film Critics Association ( es, Asociación de Cronistas Cinematográficos de la Argentina) is an organization of Argentine-based journalists and correspondents. The association presents the ''Silver Condor Awards'' (''Premios Cóndor ...

awards, including

Best Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * BA ...

and

Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best Story. Beginning with the ...

. Bielinsky was offered by several Hollywood companies to remake the film in English, but he refused, as he didn't want his first two films to be the same. The American remake, ''

Criminal In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Can ...

'', was produced by

Steven Soderbergh Steven Andrew Soderbergh (; born January 14, 1963) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer and editor. A pioneer of modern independent cinema, Soderbergh is an acclaimed and prolific filmmaker. Soderbergh's direc ...

and released in 2004. Bielinsky directed his second film, '' The Aura'', in 2005.

Ricardo Darín Ricardo Alberto Darín (born 16 January 1957) is an Argentine actor, film director and film producer, he is considered one of the best and most prolific actors of Argentine cinema. Considered one of the greatest and most acclaimed movie stars ...

, who played the lead in ''Nine Queens'', also played the lead role in ''The Aura''. While not as financially successful as ''Nine Queens'', it received just as much critical praise. Critics noted how ''The Aura'' dropped many of the black comedy elements of ''Nine Queens'' in favor of a more atmospheric and cerebral noir. The film won

and

at the

awards. The film was the Argentine entry for the

Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

at the

78th Academy Awards The 78th Academy Awards presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 5, 2006, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:00 p.m. PST / 8:00 p.m. EST. The ceremony was ...

. In both of his films various characters mention "El Turco", a powerful underworld figure who is never shown on screen.

Personal life and legacy

Bielinsky was married and had one child. A month before Bielinsky was going to present ''The Aura'' at the

Edinburgh International Film Festival The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) is a film festival that runs for two weeks in June each year. Established in 1947, it is the world's oldest continually running film festival. EIFF presents both UK and international films (all ti ...

, he died from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

in his sleep in

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, while casting for an advertisement. In 2011, he was posthumously awarded a

Konex Award Konex Foundation Awards, or simply Konex Awards, are cultural awards from the Konex Foundation honouring Argentine cultural personalities. History and purpose Konex Awards are granted by the Konex Foundation, created in 1980 in Argentina. The pur ...

as one of the 5 best film directors of the decade in Argentina.

References

External links

* * BBC Movies. 8 July 2002
Interview
* Clarín. 29 June 2006

* Página/12. 29 June 2006

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bielinsky, Fabian 1959 births 2006 deaths Argentine film directors People from Buenos Aires Argentine people of Polish-Jewish descent Argentine Jews