Luis Adalberto Puenzo (born 19 February 1946) is 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 ...

producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

and

screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, fe ...

writer. He works mainly in the

cinema of Argentina Cinema of Argentina refers to the film industry based in Argentina. The Argentine cinema comprises the art of film and creative movies made within the nation of Argentina or by Argentine filmmakers abroad. The Argentine film industry has histor ...

, but has also worked in the United States.

Biography

Puenzo was born in Buenos Aires in 1946. He began a successful career in 1965 producing television advertising spots in Argentina. He founded Luis Puenzo Cinema, a production company, with Sergio Tamburri ( film editor and trombone player of the famous Porteña Jazz Band); the firm's name was changed to Cinemanía S.A. in 1974. During Argentina's

Civic-military dictatorship of Argentina The National Reorganization Process (Spanish: ''Proceso de Reorganización Nacional'', often simply ''el Proceso'', "the Process") was the military dictatorship that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983, in which it was supported by the United Sta ...

in the mid 1970s and early 1980s many filmmakers became victims of repression and some went into exile; some disappeared. During this difficult time, Puenzo decided to work in advertising. In the United States he is known for his film ''

Old Gringo ''Old Gringo'' is a 1989 American romantic adventure film starring Jane Fonda, Gregory Peck, and Jimmy Smits. It was directed by Luis Puenzo and co-written with Aída Bortnik, based on the 1985 novel '' The Old Gringo'' by Mexican novelist Ca ...

'' (1989), starring

Gregory Peck Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the 12th-greatest male star of Classic Hollywood ...

Jane Fonda Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress, activist, and former fashion model. Recognized as a film icon, Fonda is the recipient of various accolades including two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, sev ...

and Jimmy Smits. His film '' The Official Story'' (1985) won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film and many other accolades. He was the president of the

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 ...

under the presidency of Alberto Fernández.

Observations

''The Official Story,'' arguably Puenzo's best work, has been lauded by film critics and scholars for bringing to the screen a story that " san excellent point of departure to explore some of Argentina and Latin America's most salient problems today. As the film deals with its various themes, it shows their impact on individuals in a very personal way, thus making them more immediate." Today, Puenzo's film has become "a staple in many Latin American culture courses throughout the U.S. and Europe, keeping its relevance intact even though it is now well into its second decade." According to Sandra Brennan most of his films "offer probing, metaphorical portraits of characters and relationships in the face of larger sociopolitical issues."Brennan, Sandra.

Allmovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was founded by popular-cult ...

, biography.

Filmography

*''Luces de mis zapatos'' (1973) *''Las Sorpresas'' (1975), segment "Cinco años de vida" *''La Historia oficial'' (1985), aka '' The Official Story'' *''

'' (1989) *''With Open Arms'' (1990) *''

La Peste ''The Plague'' (french: La Peste) is a novel by Albert Camus. Published in 1947, it tells the story from the point of view of a narrator of a plague sweeping the French Algerian city of Oran. The narrator remains unknown until the start of the ...

'' (1992), ''The Plague'' (USA). Based on Albert Camus' novel of the same name. *''Broken Silence'' (2002), Mini-TV Series, segment "Some Who Lived." *''

La Puta y la Ballena ''The Whore and the Whale'' (''La puta y la ballena'') is a 2004 Spain, Hispano-Argentina, Argentine drama film directed by Luis Puenzo. The film tells the interwoven stories of a Spanish writer whose life goes through various crises and an Argen ...

'' (2004), ''The Whore and the Whale''

Awards for ''The Official Story''

Wins * Academy Awards:

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 ...

, 1985. *

Argentinian Film Critics Association Awards 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 ...

: Silver Condor, Best Director and Best Screenplay, 1986. * Berlin International Film Festival: Interfilm Award, Otto Dibelius Film Award, Luis Puenzo, 1986. * Cannes Film Festival: Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, Luis Puenzo (1986). * Toronto International Film Festival: People's Choice Award, Luis Puenzo, 1985. *

Association of Latin Entertainment Critics The Association of Latin Entertainment Critics (Asociación de Cronistas de Espectáculos de Nueva York, in Spanish) is a nonprofit cultural organization founded on December 12, 1967. The organization has bestowed the Latin ACE Awards (Premios ACE) ...

: Premio ACE, 1985. Nominations * Academy Awards:

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen 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 th ...

, 1985. * Cannes Film Festival: Golden Palm, Luis Puenzo, 1985.

References

External links

* * *

Luis Puenzo Luis Adalberto Puenzo (born 19 February 1946) is an Argentine film director, producer and screenplay writer. He works mainly in the cinema of Argentina, but has also worked in the United States. Biography Puenzo was born in Buenos Aires in ...

at Spanish Wikipedia * {{DEFAULTSORT:Puenzo, Luis 1946 births Living people People from Buenos Aires Argentine film directors Argentine film producers Argentine screenwriters Male screenwriters Argentine male writers Directors of Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award winners