Alfonso Cuaron

Recognized worldwide, thanks to the excellent work he has done in his films such as And your mom too , Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban and more recently, the film Gravity , the director of Mexican origin Alfonso Cuarón , has managed to leave his mark both in Mexican cinema and in Hollywood cinema. In addition, he is the first Mexican and Latin American to have received an Oscar for best director , a feat he achieved in 2014 for the film Gravity.

Biography of Alfonso Cuarón

Born on November 29, 1961 in Mexico , Alfonso Cuarón Orozco from a very young age showed his passion for cinema by filming small scenes with the family camera . However, her mother did not approve of her desire to pursue cinema and when she finished her high school studies, she studied philosophy as well as cinematography to please her.

It is at the University Center for Cinematographic Studies (CUEC) that Cuarón carries out his film studies. There he made many friends such as Luis Estrada, Carlos Marcovich and Emmanuel Lubezki. After making a short in English entitled Vengance is Mine  together with Estrada Lubezki, it was said that Cuarón was expelled from CUEC because the production caused controversy among the teachers of the institute. However, there is another version according to which Cuarón was not expelled, but in reality, he decided to leave this house of study in view of the fact that he was not granted authorization to market this short film .

During his years as a CUEC student, Cuarón met his first wife, Mariana Elizondo, with whom he had his first child, Jonás Cuarón. To support his family, he then worked as a watchman in a museum until he obtained a position as an assistant in films such as La Víspera and Nocaut de García Agraz.

Cuarón made in 1991, his first feature film , the comedy Solo con tu amigo  with which he achieved significant international success that represented a springboard to later be known in Hollywood. His brother Carlos Cuarón participated in the development of the script. Later, he left Mexico to try his luck in the United States , where he directed several episodes of the series Fallen Angels, produced by Sidney Pollack.

In 1995, he continued his filmography on the big screen with the film The Little Princess , his first film in the Mecca of Hollywood cinema . Although the film was not a box office success, it garnered two Oscar nominations and received rave reviews from critics.

In 1998 he directed Great Expectations , a modern adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel with Ethan Hawke, Robert DeNiro and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Three years later, Alfonso Cuarón returned to Mexico and created the production company Anhelo, whose offices are located in the premises of Warner Bros. Then, he made his film Y tu mama tambien , his first production in Spanish after 10 years.

In 2004 , Warner proposed him to work as director of the third Harry Potter saga, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban , which led to Cuarón being recognized as an international director. The film received many positive reviews and even the writer JK Rowling expressed her enormous satisfaction with the adaptation of Cuarón. In addition, the film was a huge commercial success.

Later in 2006, Cuarón undertook an ambitious new project, the film Children of Men  (2006), for which he received numerous positive reviews and praise. That same year, Cuarón was in charge of the production of the film Fauno’s Labyrinth , which won 3 Oscars for best photography, best makeup, and best art direction. The film also won BAFTAs for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Makeup.

In 2006, the filmmaker also participated in the production of Paris, je t’aime  with a 5-minute episode starring Ludivine Sagnier and Nick Nolte.

Later, Cuarón decided to stop his film projects after his youngest son Olmo Teodoro, the result of his relationship with his second wife, Annalisa Bugliano, was diagnosed as autistic. The director divorced Bugliano in 2008 after 7 years of marriage.

In 2013, the director caused a sensation on the cinematic landscape by directing his film Gravity , with actors Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. Thanks to this feature film, the filmmaker received his first Oscar in 2014, as Best Director. It should be noted that the film received at this famous Hollywood ceremony, 10 nominations of which, it won 7 awards.

His most recent film project is Roma , a film set in his native Mexico, where he returned after 17 years. The film, which will be released in 2018, takes place in the early 1970s and recreates the life of a middle-class family in Mexico City. For the film, the director also had the opportunity to work on photography as well.

Featured films by Alfonso Cuarón

Gravity

Thanks to this film, Alfonso Cuarón became the first Mexican filmmaker to receive the Oscar for best director . In addition to this recognition, the feature film won more than 200 awards around the world . The film also won an Oscar for best cinematography for the masterful work of Emmanuel Lubezki. In total, Gravity received 7 Oscars. The film that starred George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, tells the story of two astronauts who crash in space.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azcabán

Alfonso Cuarón was in charge of directing the third film in the Harry Potter saga . It is one of the young magician’s films, which has received the best reviews. Indeed, the same writer JK Rowling claimed that the adaptation was her favorite. The film tells the story of the young wizard Potter, who in his third year at Hogwarts, must once again defend himself against Lord Voldemort.

Sons of men

This film, nominated for an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing , is based on the book The Children of Men by PD James. The film’s story takes place in 2027, a time when the human race faces possible extinction. Women are infertile and it has been 18 years that I have not heard from a pregnant woman. This suspense movie stars Clive Owen.

And Your Mother Too

This film is one of the most iconic and highest-grossing films of Mexican cinema, starring the actors Gael García Bernal , Diego Luna and Maribel Verdú. The film tells the story of two friends who meet the wife of a distant cousin and with whom they live an experience in which sexuality, desire, friendship, hatred and love merge. With this film, Alfonso Cuarón managed to captivate the audience and win several awards.

The little Princess

The film, which earned a 1996 Oscar nomination , is based on the children’s story A Little Princess by French Hodgson Burnett. Cuarón manages to capture wonderful landscapes on the screen that show the imagination of Sara Crewe. It is the first film in the Hollywood cinema of Alfonso Cuarón. For photography, he had the participation of Lubezki.

Famous phrases

• Fool the viewer, immerse him in that world of possibilities, as is life itself.
• Since we are not the only ones who feel them, and in certain (and sometimes twisted circumstances), undressing is the way to move.
• Human beings are so complex that, if we follow certain lines of how this or that situation should be, we are making a mistake.
• Even the seemingly trivial matter can have extraordinary consequences. C’est la vie!
• Because the filmmaker who is honest with what he captures on the screen, can touch deep and dark parts of the viewer. And feel

Acknowledgments to Alfonso Cuarón

2014

• Oscar winner in the category of Best Director for the film Gravity.
• Oscar winner in the category of Best Editing for the film Gravity.
• Oscar nomination in the category of Best Film.
• Winner of a Golden Globe in the category of Best Director for the film Gravity.
• Winner of the Critic’s Choice Awards in the category of Best Director for the film Gravity.
• BAFTA Award Winner in the Best Director category for the movie Gravity.

2006

• Oscar nomination in the categories of Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing for the film Children of Men.

2005

• Winner of the Teen’s Choice Awards for Best Summer Film: Drama / Action Adventure for the film Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

2002

• Nomination for an Oscar award in the category of Best Original Screenplay for the film And your mom too.
• BAFTA nomination in the categories of Best Foreign Language Film and Best Original Screenplay for the film Y tu mama tambien.