Javier Fuentes-León is a

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

vian film director based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

and best known for his directorial long-feature debut '' Undertow'' (Spanish title ''Contracorriente'') that starred

Cristian Mercado Cristian Mercado is a Bolivian theater and film actor. On film, he is known for his lead role as Falso Conejo in ''Sena/Quina, la inmortalidad del cangrejo'' and as Miguel, a fisherman in '' Undertow'' (Spanish title ''Contracorriente'') alongsid ...

as Miguel, a fisherman who is torn between his love for his pregnant wife Mariela played by

Tatiana Astengo Tatiana (or Tatianna, also romanized as Tatyana, Tatjana, Tatijana, etc.) is a female name of Sabine-Roman origin that became widespread in Eastern Europe. Variations * be, Тацця́на, Tatsiana * bg, Татяна, Tatyana * germa ...

and a painter artist Santiago played by Manolo Cardona. The film, a co-production between Peru, Colombia, France and Germany, was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize in the Dramatic category at the 2010

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...

and actually won the World Cinema Audience Award . It also won the Sebastiane Award at the

San Sebastián International Film Festival The San Sebastián International Film Festival ( SSIFF; es, Festival Internacional de San Sebastián, eu, Donostia Zinemaldia) is an annual FIAPF A category film festival held in the Spanish city of Donostia-San Sebastián in September, in ...

. Fuentes-León was born in

and graduated from Medical School in Peru, but made a radical change by moving to Los Angeles in 1994 to pursue a career in film directing by studying for a

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts a ...

(MFA) at the

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of bo ...

(CalArts). His thesis film, ''Espacios'' won the National Award for Short Films from the Peruvian government in 1997. He also wrote a theatrical piece ''Mr. Clouds'' in 2000, which the

National Theater of Peru National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland ...

considered among the best of the year and published it in the compilation ''Dramaturgia Nacional 2000''. In the following years, Fuentes-León worked as the lead writer for reality TV shows at the

Telemundo Telemundo (; formerly NetSpan) is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television network owned by NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, a division of NBCUniversal, which in turn is owned by Comcast. It provides content nationally with prog ...

in the U.S., subtitled films from major Hollywood studios into Spanish, and worked as an editor of commercials and TV shows, including '' Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels'' for the

Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a joint venture and general partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (which holds a 69% ownership stake of the network) and Nexstar Media Group ...

, while focusing on his own writing and directing projects. His second short ''Géminis'' premiered at

Outfest Outfest is an LGBTQ-oriented nonprofit that produces two film festivals, operates a movie streaming platform, and runs educational services for filmmakers in Los Angeles. Outfest is one of the key partners, alongside the Frameline Film Festival ...

in 2004 and screened at various international film festivals. Currently, Fuentes-León is developing various projects including ''The Woman Who Feared the Sun'' (based on his play ''Mr. Clouds'') and ''Sinister'', a rock musical set in a restrictive society of the near future, for which Fuentes-León is writing the music as well.

Filmography

;Director *1997: ''Espacios'' (short) *2004: ''

Géminis ''Géminis'' is a 2005 Argentine-French drama film written and directed by Albertina Carri. It is set in a rich family where two adolescent children have started an incestuous relationship. Synopsis Meme and her brother Jere are teenagers, stil ...

'' (short) *2009: '' Undertow'' (Spanish title ''Contracorriente'') *2014: ''

The Vanished Elephant ''The Vanished Elephant'' ( es, El elefante desaparecido) is a 2014 internationally co-produced psycological thriller mystery film directed by Javier Fuentes-León. Plot A crime novelist is tormented by the very character he created. Cast * ...

'' *2020: ''

The Best Families ''The Best Families'' (Spanish: ''Las mejores familias'') is a 2020 Peruvian-Colombian black comedy-drama film written and directed by Javier Fuentes-León. Starring Tatiana Astengo, Giovanni Ciccia, Jely Reátegui, Grapa Paola, Carlos Carlín, Jim ...

'' ;Producer *2004: ''Géminis'' (short) *2009: ''Undertow'' ;Screenwriter *1997: ''Espacios'' (short) *2004: ''Géminis'' (short) *2009: ''Undertow'' *2017: ''

Av. Larco ''Av. Larco'' (also known as ''Av. Larco, la película'') is a 2017 Peruvian jukebox musical comedy-drama film directed by Jorge Carmona. It is based on ''Av. Larco: El musical'' by Rasec Barragán & Giovanni Ciccia, which in turn is inspired by ...

'' *2020: ''The Best Families'' ;Editor *1997: ''Espacios'' (short) *2004: ''Géminis'' (short) *2005: ''Un dia en la vida'' (short) *2008: ''Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels'' (TV series documentary) (episode: "Martha's Vineyard") ;Actor *2004: ''Géminis'' as Géminis (short) *2006: ''I Heart'' as Karoke Buddy (short) ;Others *2007: ''Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story'' (documentary) (special thanks) *2008: '' Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon'' (documentary) (special thanks) *2011: Vito (documentary) (special thanks)

Awards and nominations

;For ''Undertow'' *2009: Won Sebastiane Award at the

*2010: Won Audience Awards for "World Cinema - Dramatic" category at the

*2010: Nominated for Grand Jury Prize for "World Cinema - Dramatic" category at the Sundance Film Festival *2010: Won Audience Award at the

Lima Latin American Film Festival Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of the ...

*2010: Won Audience Award for Ibero-American competition at Miami Film Festival *2010: Nominated for Golden India Catalina for "Best Film (Mejor Película)" at

Cartagena Film Festival The Cartagena Film Festival ( es, Festival Internacional de Cine de Cartagena de Indias), or FICCI, is a film festival held in Cartagena, Colombia, which focuses mainly on the promotion of Colombian television series, Latin American films and sho ...

*2011: Nominated for Goya for "Best Spanish Language Foreign Film" at

Goya Awards The Goya Awards ( es, Premios Goya) are Spain's main national annual film awards, commonly referred to as the Academy Awards of Spain. The awards were established in 1987, a year after the founding of the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sc ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuentes-Leon, Javier Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Peruvian film directors Peruvian LGBT writers LGBT film directors Peruvian LGBT screenwriters Peruvian screenwriters Male screenwriters