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 The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Biography

Puenzo 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 ...

in 1946. He began a successful career in 1965 producing

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

spots in Argentina. He founded Luis Puenzo Cinema, a production company, with Sergio Tamburri (

film editor Film editing is both a creative and a technical part of the post-production process of filmmaking. The term is derived from the traditional process of working with film which increasingly involves the use of digital technology. The film ed ...

and

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

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 in the mid 1970s and early 1980s many filmmakers became victims of repression and some went into exile; some

disappeared An enforced disappearance (or forced disappearance) is the secret abduction or imprisonment of a person by a state or political organization, or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organi ...

. During this difficult time, Puenzo decided to work in advertising. In the United States he is known for his film '' Old Gringo'' (1989), starring Gregory Peck, Jane Fonda and

Jimmy Smits Jimmy L. Smits (born July 9, 1955) is an American actor. He is best known for playing attorney Victor Sifuentes on the 1980s-1990s legal drama '' L.A. Law'', NYPD Detective Bobby Simone on the 1990s-2000s police drama ''NYPD Blue'', Matt Santos ...

. His film ''

The Official Story ''The Official Story'' ( es, La historia oficial) is a 1985 Argentine drama historical film directed by Luis Puenzo and written by Puenzo and Aída Bortnik. It stars Norma Aleandro, Héctor Alterio, Chunchuna Villafañe and Hugo Arana. In the ...

'' (1985) won an

Academy Award for Best Foreign Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

and many other accolades. He was the president of the INCAA under the presidency of

Alberto Fernández Alberto Ángel Fernández (; born 2 April 1959) is an Argentine politician, lawyer and professor, serving as president of Argentina since 2019. Born in Buenos Aires, Fernández attended the University of Buenos Aires, where he earned his law ...

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 Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

'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, biography.

Filmography

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

'' *'' Old Gringo'' (1989) *''With Open Arms'' (1990) *'' La Peste'' (1992), ''The Plague'' (USA). Based on

Albert Camus Albert Camus ( , ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, and journalist. He was awarded the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the second-youngest recipient in history. His work ...

' novel of the same name. *''Broken Silence'' (2002), Mini-TV Series, segment "Some Who Lived." *'' La Puta y la Ballena'' (2004), ''The Whore and the Whale''

Awards for ''The Official Story''

Wins *

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 Foreign Language Film, 1985. * Argentinian Film Critics Association Awards: Silver Condor, Best Director and Best Screenplay, 1986. *

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 ...

: Interfilm Award,

Otto Dibelius Friedrich Karl Otto Dibelius (15 May 1880 – 31 January 1967) was a German bishop of the Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg, a self-described anti-Semite who up to 1934 a conservative who became a staunch opponent of Nazism and commu ...

Film Award, Luis Puenzo, 1986. *

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 ...

: Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, Luis Puenzo (1986). *

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a perman ...

: People's Choice Award, Luis Puenzo, 1985. * Association of Latin Entertainment Critics: Premio ACE, 1985. Nominations * Academy Awards: Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, 1985. * Cannes Film Festival: Golden Palm, Luis Puenzo, 1985.

References

External links

* * * Luis Puenzo 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