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 attended film school at
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
where he earned a Master of Fine Arts 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 in 1975. They collaborated on many projects and had sons Christopher (born 1984) and Teddy (born 1985). They divorced in 2006. Nava married Barbara Martinez in 2013.
Career
'' The Confessions of Amans'', Nava's first feature film, 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 producers due to the success of '' El Norte,'' which garnered Nava and his wife Anna Thomas an
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
nomination for the screenplay. In 1995, the film was registered by the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
,
National Film Registry
The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation (library and archival science), preservation, each selected for its cultural, historical, and aestheti ...
. According to Roger Ebert, "''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."
Collaborations with his wife Thomas include '' The Confessions of Amans,'' '' A Time of Destiny,'' '' My Family,'' and ''
Frida
Frida, Frieda, or Freida may refer to:
People and fictional characters
*Frida (given name), any of several people or characters
**
*Frieda (surname), any of several people or characters
*Afroditi Frida (born 1964), Greek singer
*Frida (singer) ...
'' (screenplay).
Nava had directing success in 1997 with the film ''
Selena
Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (; April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995) was an American singer-songwriter. Known as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Tejano Music", her contributions to music and fashion made her one of the most cel ...
,'' starring
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...
.
From 2003 to 2004, Nava executive produced the television series ''American Family: Journey of Dreams'' for
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
. 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 (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...
on February 15, 2007. The film, based on true events, is a political thriller about a series of unsolved murders in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. It stars Jennifer Lopez 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 and Mexico.
Selena
Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (; April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995) was an American singer-songwriter. Known as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Tejano Music", her contributions to music and fashion made her one of the most cel ...
Frida
Frida, Frieda, or Freida may refer to:
People and fictional characters
*Frida (given name), any of several people or characters
**
*Frieda (surname), any of several people or characters
*Afroditi Frida (born 1964), Greek singer
*Frida (singer) ...
'' (2002), screenplay only
* '' Bordertown'' (2006)
Television
* ''The 20th Century: American Tapestry'' (1999, Documentary)
* '' American Family'' (2002–2004)
Accolades
Wins
*
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 ...
Montréal World Film Festival
The Montreal World Film Festival (), commonly abbreviated MWFF in English or FFM in French, was an annual film festival in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from 1977 to 2019.El Norte'', 1983
* Donostia-San Sebastián International Film Festival: OCIC Award for '' My Family'', 1995
* Bravo Awards: Outstanding Feature Film for ''My Family'', 1995
* Taos Talking Picture Festival: Cineaste Award, 1995
* ALMA Award: Outstanding Latino Director of a Feature Film, for ''
Selena
Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (; April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995) was an American singer-songwriter. Known as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Tejano Music", her contributions to music and fashion made her one of the most cel ...
'', 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 ...
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...
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
Th ...
: Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen for ''El Norte'', 1984
* Donostia-San Sebastián International Film Festival: Golden Seashell Award for '' My Family'', 1995
*
Emmy Awards
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
: Outstanding Miniseries, for ''American Family: Journey of Dreams'' for the episode "Journey of Dreams", 2002
*
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...
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 Council ...