Cinema is one of the most highly regarded arts in the world, which could not exist without an interesting plot. Nevertheless, Although we have an exceptional story with great potential, nothing much would happen without the indispensable work of a director. The job of a film director is to direct the recording and make it a blockbuster. Spanish cinema has a lot of talent and today I will tell you a little about the history of the main Spanish film directors we have today.
One of the main functions of a director is to do a little of everything! Basically is responsible for correctly executing and projecting a story in a way that is relevant to audiences. It is the figure who makes the main decisions, for example: carrying out a script, selecting soundtracks, giving instructions to the actors, supervising the shots of each scene and the angles of the cameras during a shoot. But mainly contributes his own vision of how it is that the story must be told with factors as essential as determining the style of the environment. Below I present three of the most recognized Spanish film directors so that we do not lose sight of any of their films.
Pedro Almodóvar
It is considered as one of the most influential directors outside his native country in the last decades. He was born in Calzada de Calatrava in 1949 in a family of muleteers. He was always surrounded by women around him, who are a great source of inspiration for his works. At the age of eighteen he moved to the city of Madrid to study cinema; however the school had recently closed. This event did not constitute an impediment for Almodovar to begin to forge his path. He entered theatrical groups and began to write his own novels. It was not until 1984 when he began to make himself known through the film What have I done to deserve this?
His style destroys the Spanish bourgeois costumbrismo since he represents realities in his works that are sometimes difficult to assimilate with situations of social marginality. Addresses highly controversial topics such as: drugs, precocious children, homosexuality, prostitution and abuse. Yet he never neglects his characteristic black and irreverent humor. He has considered the actresses Carmen Maura and Penelope Cruz as one of his favorite actresses and muses.
Among his main works we find:
- All about my mother
- Back
- The Skin I Live In
- Talk to her
- Tie Me Up!
- The Flower of My Secret
- Far heels
He has been the winner of two Oscars: in 1999 thanks to "All about my mother" and in 2002 for the script "Talk to her". Additionally, he has been awarded several Golden Globes, BAFTA Awards, Goya Awards and at the Cannes Festival. It is important to emphasize that in addition to being one of the best Spanish film directors; He is also a successful producer and screenwriter.
Alejandro Amenábar
With a mother of Spanish origin and a Chilean father, we find a dual nationality in this director that he maintains at the moment. He was born on March 31, 1972 in Santiago de Chile and the following year the family decided to move to Madrid. His creativity began to develop from a very young age when he showed great fondness for writing and reading, as well as composing musical themes. He is considered one of the most successful directors, screenwriters and composers of our time for the seventh art.
The Amenábar's first works constituted four short films released between 1991 and 1995. He began to gain fame in 1996 with the production "Thesis", a thriller that drew critical attention at the Berlin Film Festival and won seven Goya Awards. In 1997 he developed "Abre los ojos", a science fiction film that swept the Tokyo and Berlin festivals. The plot so impressed American actor Tom Cruise that he decided to acquire the rights to make an adaptation that was released in 2001 under the title "Vanilla Sky."
The director's third production with great resonance is the famous film "The Others" starring Nicole Kidman. and which was released in theaters in 2001. It achieved high ratings and excellent reviews; it was also positioned as the most watched movie of the year in Spain.
One of his most recent feature films where he collaborates as a director was in 2015, entitled "Regression", which starred Emma Watson and Ethan Hawke.
Some other titles he contributed to as a director, producer, songwriter, or actor are as follows:
- Into the sea
- The evil of others
- The tongue of butterflies
- Nobody knows nobody
- Ágora
- I like it
Amenábar has an Oscar award in its history, in addition to a large number of Goya awards.
John Anthony Bayonne
He was born in 1945 in the city of Barcelona, has a twin brother and comes from a humble family. Ibegan his professional career at the age of 20 by making advertisements and video clips of some musical bands. Bayona recognizes Guillermo del Toro as her mentor and whom she met during the 1993 Sitges Film Festival.
In 2004, the scriptwriter of the film «The Orphanage» offered the script to Bayonne. Seeing the need to double the budget and duration of the film, he enlists the help of Guillermo del Toro who offers to co-produce the film that is released three years later at the Cannes festival. The cheers from the audience lasted almost ten minutes!
Another of the director's most relevant works corresponds to the drama «The Impossible» starring Naomi Watts and which was released in 2012. The plot tells the story of a family and the tragedy that lived during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The film managed to position itself as the most successful premiere in Spain so far, grossing 8.6 million dollars during the opening weekend.
Additionally, in 2016 the film "A monster is coming to see me" premiered in Spain. The big surprise comes when the renowned director Steven Spielberg chooses Bayona to direct the last installment of Jurassic World in 2018: "The Fallen Kingdom."
What about the rest of Spanish film directors?
Without a doubt, there are a lot of artists on the rise. We find directors like Icíar Bollaín, Daniel Monzón, Fernando Trueba, Daniel Sanchez Arévalo, Mario Camus and Alberto Rodríguez whom we must not lose track of. His work begins to gain a name within the industry with his proposals.
Film directors depend on a budget, in addition to some restrictions on the part of the creators of the stories. Yet his work is the backbone of any cinematographic work. It is a true art to correctly interpret and adapt other people's ideas to convey them to large audiences and turn them into success!