Gregory James Nava (born April 10, 1949) is an American film director, producer and screenwriter.

Personal life

Nava was born in San Diego, of Mexican and Basque heritage. Nava graduated from St. Augustine High School in San Diego and went on to attend film school at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

where he earned an MFA in 1976. At UCLA he directed the short film ''The Journal of Diego Rodriguez Silva'' (based on the life of García Lorca), and for this work, won the Best Dramatic Film Award at the National Student Film Festival. Nava married

Anna Thomas Anna Thomas (born July 12, 1948) is a German-born American author, screenwriter, and film producer. She is best known as the author of the 1972 vegetarian cookbook, ''The Vegetarian Epicure'', which contributed to the rise of the vegetarian mov ...

in 1975. They collaborated on many projects, and had sons Christopher (born 1984) and Teddy (born 1985) before separating in 1995. They eventually divorced in 2006. Nava married Barbara Martinez in 2013.

Career

While an instructor at Moorpark College teaching classes in

cinematography Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens to focu ...

, Nava's first feature film, '' The Confessions of Amans,'' won the Best First Feature Award at the

Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...

in 1976. Later, he came to the attention of

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

producers due to the success of '' El Norte,'' which garnered Nava and his wife

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nomination, among other accolades, for the screenplay. In 1995 the film was registered by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...

National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception ...

. According to ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the '' Chicago ...

'' film critic

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

, "''El Norte'' tells the story with astonishing visual beauty, with unashamed melodrama, with anger leavened by hope. It is a '' Grapes of Wrath'' for our time." Further collaborations with his wife Thomas include: '' The Confessions of Amans,'' ''

A Time of Destiny ''A Time of Destiny'' is a 1988 American drama war film directed by Gregory Nava and written by Nava and Anna Thomas. The story is based on the opera ''La forza del destino'' by Giuseppe Verdi. The motion picture was executive produced by Shep Gor ...

,'' ''

My Family ''My Family'' is a British sitcom created and initially co-written by Fred Barron, which was produced by DLT Entertainment and Rude Boy Productions, and broadcast by BBC One for eleven series between 2000 and 2011, with Christmas specials broadc ...

,'' and ''

Frida ''Frida'' is a 2002 American biographical drama film directed by Julie Taymor which depicts the professional and private life of the surrealist Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Starring Salma Hayek in an Academy Award–nominated portrayal as K ...

'' (screenplay), and other works. Nava had further directing success in 1997 with the film ''

Selena Selena Quintanilla Pérez (; April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995), known mononymously as Selena, was an American Tejano singer. Called the " Queen of Tejano music", her contributions to music and fashion made her one of the most celebrated Mex ...

,'' starring

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series '' In Living Color'', where she re ...

, who was nominated for the

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

for Best Actress. From 2003 to 2004, Nava executive produced the television series ''American Family: Journey of Dreams'' for PBS. He also directed a few episodes. In 2006, Nava produced, wrote, and directed the film '' Bordertown'' which made its debut at the

Berlin Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the fest ...

on February 15, 2007. The film, based on true events, is a political thriller about a series of unsolved murders in

Ciudad Juárez Ciudad Juárez ( ; ''Juarez City''. ) is the most populous city in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It is commonly referred to as Juárez and was known as El Paso del Norte (''The Pass of the North'') until 1888. Juárez is the seat of the Ju� ...

, Mexico. It stars

as a Chicago-based reporter who follows the story.Santiago, Soledad
''The Free New Mexican'' article, December 2, 2006. The film was shot in

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...

and

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

Filmography

* '' The Confessions of Amans'' (1976) * '' The Haunting of M'' (1979) * ''The End of August'' (1982), screenplay only * '' El Norte'' (1983) * ''

'' (1988) * ''

'' (1995) * ''

'' (1997) * '' Why Do Fools Fall in Love'' (1998) * ''

'' (2002), screenplay only * '' Bordertown'' (2006)

Television

* ''The 20th Century: American Tapestry'' (1999, Documentary) * '' American Family'' (2002–2004)

Accolades

Wins *

: Gold Hugo Award, Best First Feature Award, for '' The Confessions of Amans''; 1976. *

Montréal World Film Festival The Montreal World Film Festival (WFF; french: le Festival des Films du Monde) was one of Canada's oldest international film festivals and the only competitive film festival in North America accredited by the FIAPF (although the Toronto Internat ...

: ''Grand Prix des Amériques'', for '' El Norte''; 1983. * Donostia-San Sebastián International Film Festival: OCIC Award, for ''

''; 1995. * Bravo Awards: Outstanding Feature Film, for ''

''; 1995. * Taos Talking Picture Festival: Cineaste Award, 1995. * ALMA Award: Outstanding Latino Director of a Feature Film, for ''

''; 1997. *

ALMA Award The American Latino Media Arts Award or ALMA Award, formerly known as Latin Oscars Award, is an award highlighting the best American Latino contributions to music, television, and film. The awards promote fair and accurate portrayals of Latino ...

: Outstanding Latino Director of a Feature Film, for '' Why Do Fools Fall in Love''; 1998. * National Hispanic Media Coalition: Impact Award for Director of the Year; 2000. * Santa Fe Film Festival: Luminaria Award; 2006. Nominations *

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

: Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, for ''El Norte''; 1984. *

Writers Guild of America Award The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949. Eligibility ...

: Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, for ''El Norte''; 1984. * Donostia-San Sebastián International Film Festival: Golden Seashell Award, for ''

''; 1995. *

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

: Outstanding Miniseries, for ''American Family: Journey of Dreams,'' for episode "Journey of Dreams"; 2002. *

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the fest ...

: Golden Berlin Bear, Gregory Nava; for '' Bordertown''; 2007.

References

External links

*
PBS
interview of Gregory Nava with

Bill Moyers Bill Moyers (born Billy Don Moyers, June 5, 1934) is an American journalist and political commentator. Under the Johnson administration he served from 1965 to 1967 as the eleventh White House Press Secretary. He was a director of the Counci ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nava, Gregory 1949 births Film producers from California American male screenwriters American film directors of Mexican descent American people of Basque descent Film directors from California Living people UCLA Film School alumni University of California, Los Angeles alumni Writers from San Diego Screenwriters from California