Alfonso Cuarón: Difference between revisions
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{{short description|Mexican filmmaker}} |
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{{Spanish name|Cuarón|Orozco}} |
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{{Redirect|Cuarón|other people with the surname|Cuarón (surname)}} |
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{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2014}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}} |
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{{Infobox person |
{{Infobox person |
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| name = Alfonso Cuarón |
| name = Alfonso Cuarón |
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| image = Alfonso Cuarón |
| image = Alfonso Cuarón at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival 2 (2).jpg |
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| caption = Cuarón at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival |
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| imagesize = 225px |
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| birth_name = Alfonso Tiberio Cuarón Orozco |
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| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1961|11|28}} |
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| birth_name = Alfonso Cuarón Orozco |
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| birth_place = [[Mexico City]], Mexico |
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| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1961|11|28}} |
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| alma_mater = [[National Autonomous University of Mexico]] |
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| occupation = Film director |
| occupation = {{hlist|Film director|film producer|screenwriter|cinematographer|film editor}} |
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| years_active = 1981–present |
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| residence= [[London]], [[England]] |
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| spouse = {{plainlist| |
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| years_active = 1983–present |
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* {{marriage|Mariana Elizondo|1980|1993|end=div}} |
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| notable works = ''[[Y Tu Mamá También]]''<br />''[[Children of Men]]''<br />''[[Gravity (2013 film)|Gravity]]''<br />''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]'' |
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* {{marriage|Annalisa Bugliani|2001|2008|end=div}} |
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| spouse = Mariana Elizondo (1980–1993) <br />Annalisa Bugliani (2001–2008) |
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}} |
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| partner = [[Sheherazade Goldsmith]] |
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| children |
| children = 3, including [[Jonás Cuarón]] |
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| relatives = [[Carlos Cuarón]] (brother) |
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| awards = [[List of awards and nominations received by Alfonso Cuarón|Full list]] |
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}} |
}} |
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'''Alfonso Tiberio Cuarón Orozco'''{{family name footnote|Cuarón|Orozco|lang=Spanish}} ({{IPAc-en|us|k|w|ɑː|ˈ|r|oʊ|n}} {{respell|kwar|OHN}};<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/nls/about/organization/standards-guidelines/abcd/#c|title=Say How: C|publisher=[[National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped]]|access-date=17 October 2018|archive-date=7 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180507154056/http://www.loc.gov/nls/about/organization/standards-guidelines/abcd/#c|url-status=live}}</ref> {{IPA|es|alˈfonso kwaˈɾon|lang|Alfonso Cuarón - es-mx.ogg}}; born 28 November 1961) is a Mexican filmmaker. His accolades include five [[Academy Awards]], seven [[BAFTA Awards]], and three [[Golden Globe Awards]]. |
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'''Alfonso Cuarón Orozco''' ({{IPA-es|alˈfonso kwaˈɾon}}; born November 28, 1961) is a Mexican [[film director]], [[screenwriter]], [[film producer|producer]] and [[Film editor|editor]] best known for his films ''[[A Little Princess (1995 film)|A Little Princess]]'' (1995), ''[[Y Tu Mamá También]]'' (2001), ''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]'' (2004), ''[[Children of Men]]'' (2006), and ''[[Gravity (film)|Gravity]]'' (2013). His fantasy adventure series'' [[Believe (TV series)|Believe]]'' is currently being broadcast on [[NBC]]. |
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Cuarón made his feature film debut with the romantic comedy ''[[Sólo con tu pareja]]'' (1991), and directed the film adaptations ''[[A Little Princess (1995 film)|A Little Princess]]'' (1995), and ''[[Great Expectations (1998 film)|Great Expectations]]'' (1998). His breakthrough came with the coming-of-age film ''[[Y tu mamá también]]'' (2001) which earned him a nomination for the [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay]]. He gained greater prominence for directing the fantasy film ''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]'' (2004), the dystopian drama ''[[Children of Men]]'' (2006), the science fiction drama [[Gravity (2013 film)|''Gravity'']] (2013), and the semi-autobiographical drama [[Roma (2018 film)|''Roma'']] (2018). The latter two won him [[Academy Award for Best Director|Academy Awards for Best Director]]. He also won [[Academy Award for Best Film Editing|Best Film Editing]] for ''Gravity'' and [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]] for ''Roma''.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/oscars-2019-cuarons-roma-wins-mexico-first-foreign-language-honor-1187807#:~:text=The%20director%20had%20already%20made,%2Dever%20foreign%2Dlanguage%20Oscar.|title= Oscars: Alfonso Cuaron's 'Roma' Wins Mexico Its First Foreign-Language Honor|website= The Hollywood Reporter|date= 24 February 2019|access-date= November 27, 2020|archive-date= 25 November 2020|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201125204454/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/oscars-2019-cuarons-roma-wins-mexico-first-foreign-language-honor-1187807#:~:text=The%20director%20had%20already%20made,%2Dever%20foreign%2Dlanguage%20Oscar.|url-status= live}}</ref> |
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Most of his work has been praised by both audience and critics, and he has been nominated for six [[Academy Award]]s including [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Original Screenplay]] for ''Y Tu Mamá También'', [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]] and [[Academy Award for Best Film Editing|Best Film Editing]] for ''Children of Men'', and [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]] for ''Gravity,'' winning [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]] and Best Film Editing for ''Gravity''. For the same film, he also won the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Director]] and the [[BAFTA Award]]s for [[BAFTA Award for Best Film|Best British Film]] and [[BAFTA Award for Best Direction|Best Direction]]. He also won a [[BAFTA Award for Best Film|BAFTA Award for Best Film not in the English Language]] as one of the producers of [[Guillermo del Toro]]'s ''[[Pan's Labyrinth]]''. |
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==Early life and education == |
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Cuarón's brother [[Carlos Cuarón|Carlos]], as well as his son [[Jonás Cuarón|Jonás]], are writers and directors as well and both acted as co-writers in some of his works. He is also friends with fellow Mexican directors Guillermo del Toro and [[Alejandro González Iñárritu]], collectively known as "The Three Amigos of Cinema." |
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Cuarón was born in [[Mexico City]], the son of Alfredo Cuarón, a doctor specializing in nuclear medicine, and Cristina Orozco, a pharmaceutical biochemist.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Valdes |first1=Marcela |title=After 'Gravity,' Alfonso Cuarón Had His Pick of Directing Blockbusters. Instead, He Went Home to Make 'Roma.' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/13/magazine/alfonso-cuaron-roma-mexico-netflix.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/13/magazine/alfonso-cuaron-roma-mexico-netflix.html |archive-date=2022-01-01 |url-access=limited |access-date=26 February 2019 |work=[[The New York Times Magazine]] |date=13 December 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> He has a sister Christina, and two brothers; [[Carlos Cuarón|Carlos]], also a filmmaker,<ref>{{cite news|first1=Interviews: Beverley|last1=D'Silva|access-date=2019-12-23|title=Relative Values: Alfonso Cuaron and his brother Carlos|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/relative-values-alfonso-cuaron-and-his-brother-carlos-pmd9586dqjp|newspaper=[[The Sunday Times]]|date=18 October 2009|issn=0956-1382|archive-date=23 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191223152047/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/relative-values-alfonso-cuaron-and-his-brother-carlos-pmd9586dqjp|url-status=live}}</ref> and Alfredo, a conservation biologist.<ref>{{Cite web |last=EcoWatch |date=2015-09-11 |title=Alfonso and Alfredo Cuarón at 'Green Day Venice': Is Fiction Needed to Tell the Facts? |url=https://www.ecowatch.com/alfonso-and-alfredo-cuaron-at-green-day-venice-is-fiction-needed-to-te-1882095778.html |access-date=2023-04-13 |website=EcoWatch |language=en-US}}</ref> Cuarón studied philosophy at the [[National Autonomous University of Mexico]] and filmmaking at the [[Centro Universitario de Estudios Cinematográficos]],<ref name="filmquarterly">{{cite web|access-date=2019-12-23|title=Roma: Repatriation vs. Exploitation|url=https://filmquarterly.org/2019/06/07/roma-repatriation-vs-exploitation/|date=7 June 2019|archive-date=23 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191223135310/https://filmquarterly.org/2019/06/07/roma-repatriation-vs-exploitation/|url-status=live}}</ref> a school within the same university. There he met the director [[Carlos Marcovich]] and [[cinematographer]] [[Emmanuel Lubezki]],<ref name="filmquarterly"/> and they made what would be his first short film, ''Vengeance Is Mine''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The work of Alfonso Cuarón and Emmanuel Lubezki |url=https://moreliafilmfest.com/en/la-trayectoria-de-alfonso-cuaron-con-emmanuel-lubezki |access-date=2023-04-13 |website=moreliafilmfest.com |date=5 February 2014 |language=en}}</ref> |
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== |
==Career== |
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===1990–1999: Rise to prominence === |
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Alfonso Cuarón was born in [[Mexico City]], and is the son of Alfredo Cuarón, a nuclear physicist who worked for the United Nations' [[International Atomic Energy Agency]] for many years. He has two brothers, [[Carlos Cuarón|Carlos]], also a filmmaker, and Alfredo, a conservation biologist. |
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[[File:Alfonso_Cuarón_(1998).jpg|thumb|left|250px|Cuarón at the [[Festival Internacional de Cine en Guadalajara|Guadalajara International Film Festival]] in 1998.]] |
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Cuarón began working on television in [[Mexico]], first as a technician and then as a director. His television work led to assignments as an assistant director for several film productions including ''[[La Gran Fiesta]]'' (1985), ''[[Gaby: A True Story]]'' (1987) and ''[[Romero (film)|Romero]]'' (1989). In 1991 he landed his first big-screen directorial assignment, ''[[Sólo con tu pareja]]'', a sex comedy about a womanizing businessman (played by [[Daniel Giménez Cacho]]) who, after having sex with an attractive nurse, is fooled into believing he's contracted [[AIDS]]. In addition to writing, producing and directing, Cuarón co-edited the film with Luis Patlán.<ref>{{cite news|first1=A. O.|last1=Scott|access-date=2019-12-23|title=Sólo Con Tu Pareja - Review - Movies|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/20/movies/20solo.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=20 September 2006|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=23 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191223142611/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/20/movies/20solo.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The film, which also starred cabaret singer [[Astrid Hadad]] and model/actress [[Claudia Ramírez]] (with whom Cuarón was linked between 1989 and 1993) was a big hit in Mexico. After this success, director [[Sydney Pollack]] hired Cuarón to direct an episode of ''[[Fallen Angels (American TV series)|Fallen Angels]]'', a series of [[neo-noir]] stories produced for the [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]] premium cable network in 1993; other directors who worked on the series included [[Steven Soderbergh]], [[Jonathan Kaplan]], [[Peter Bogdanovich]], and [[Tom Hanks]]. The episode was entitled, "Murder, Obliquely" (1993) starring [[Laura Dern]], [[Alan Rickman]], and [[Diane Lane]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://mubi.com/en/films/fallen-angels-murder-obliquely/cast|title= Fallen Angels: Murder, Obliquely (1993)|website= Mubi|accessdate= March 27, 2024}}</ref> |
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In 1995, Cuarón released his first feature film produced in the United States, ''[[A Little Princess (1995 film)|A Little Princess]]'', an adaptation of [[Frances Hodgson Burnett]]'s classic [[A Little Princess|1905 novel of the same name]]. The film received critical acclaim with [[Janet Maslin]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' declaring, "[the film] is a bright, beautiful and enchantingly childlike vision", one that "draw[s] its audience into the wittily heightened reality of a fairy tale" and "takes enough liberties to re-invent rather than embalm Miss Burnett's assiduously beloved story".<ref>{{cite web |last=Maslin |first=Janet |author-link=Janet Maslin |date=May 10, 1995 |title=Fairy Tale Doing a Child's Job: Reveling in Exuberant Play |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/10/movies/film-review-fairy-tale-doing-a-child-s-job-reveling-in-exuberant-play.html |access-date=2023-03-27 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> The film went on to receive two [[Academy Award]] nominations for [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]] and [[Academy Award for Best Production Design|Best Production Design]].<ref>{{cite web |title=1996 Academy Awards |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1996 |website=oscars.org |date=5 October 2014 |access-date=27 March 2024}}</ref> Cuarón's next feature was also a literary adaptation, a modernized version of [[Charles Dickens]]'s ''[[Great Expectations (1998 film)|Great Expectations]]'' starring [[Ethan Hawke]], [[Gwyneth Paltrow]], and [[Robert De Niro]]. The film received mixed reviews to negative reviews.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1081200-great_expectations|title= Great Expectations (1998)|website= [[Rotten Tomatoes]]|accessdate= March 27, 2024}}</ref> Russell Smith of ''[[The Austin Chronicle]]'' did however praise the film writing, ". What's truly intriguing about this film, though, is the stylishness with which Cuaron (A Little Princess) reinvents Dickens' hoary, often-remade tale. This ''Great Expectations'' has a seductive, enchanting feel that has nothing to do with sweet, gauzy sentiments or calculatedly “magical” Hollywood imagery".<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.austinchronicle.com/events/film/1998-01-30/140314/|title= Great Expectations review|website= [[The Austin Chronicle]]|accessdate= March 27, 2024}}</ref> |
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Cuarón studied Philosophy at the [[National Autonomous University of Mexico]] (UNAM) and filmmaking at CUEC ([[Centro Universitario de Estudios Cinematográficos]]), a school within the same University. There, he met director Carlos Marcovich and [[cinematographer]] [[Emmanuel Lubezki]], and they made what would be his first [[short film]], ''Vengeance Is Mine''. |
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=== 2000–2009: Career breakthrough and success === |
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==Career== |
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[[File:Alfonso_Cuarón_y_Clive_Owen_(Children_of_men).jpg|right|thumb|250px|Cuarón and [[Clive Owen]], who worked together on ''Children of Men''.]] |
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In 2001, Cuarón found himself returning to Mexico with a Spanish-speaking cast to film ''[[Y tu mamá también]]'', starring [[Gael García Bernal]], [[Diego Luna]] and [[Maribel Verdú]]. It was a provocative and controversial road comedy about two sexually obsessed teenagers who take an extended road trip with an attractive married woman who is much older than they. The film's open portrayal of sexuality and frequent rude humor, as well as the politically and socially relevant asides, made the film an international hit and a major success with critics.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/25/movies/y-tu-mama-tambien.html|title= When 'Y Tu Mamá También' Changed Everything|work= The New York Times|date= 25 August 2021|accessdate= March 27, 2024|last1= Aguilar|first1= Carlos}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/y_tu_mama_tambien|title= Y TU MAMÁ TAMBIÉN|website= [[Rotten Tomatoes]]|accessdate= March 27, 2024}}</ref> The film was distributed through IFC in America allowing the film to collecte $13.8 million in the United States, unparalleled at the time for Latin American films.<ref>Alvaray, Luisela. 2008. "National, Regional, and Global: New Waves of Latin American Cinema." Cinema Journal 47 (3): 48-65. https://doi.org/10.1353/cj.0.0002.</ref> Critic [[Roger Ebert]] of ''[[The Chicago Sun-Times]]'' wrote, "It is clear Cuaron is a gifted director, and here he does his best work to date."<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/y-tu-mama-tambien-2002|title= Y Tu Mama Tambien|website= Rogerebert.com|accessdate= March 27, 2024}}</ref> Cuarón shared an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] nomination for [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Original Screenplay]] with co-writer and brother [[Carlos Cuarón]]. |
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In 2004, Cuarón directed the third film in the successful ''[[Harry Potter (film series)|Harry Potter]]'' series, ''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]''. Cuarón faced criticism at the time from some ''[[Harry Potter]]'' fans for his approach to the film, notably its tendency to take more creative liberties with the source material than its predecessors.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.cbr.com/harry-potter-prisoner-azkaban-adaptation/#:~:text=The%20Prisoner%20of%20Azkaban%20is%2C%20for%20many%2C%20the%20best%20Harry,in%20the%20best%20way%20possible.|title= Why Prisoner of Azkaban Remains Harry Potter's Most Polarizing Adaptation|website= CBR|date= 28 July 2023|accessdate= March 27, 2024}}</ref> However, author [[J. K. Rowling]], who had seen and loved Cuarón's film ''Y tu mamá también'', said that it was her personal favorite from the series so far.<ref>[http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/news_view.cfm?id=76 J.K. Rowling] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070204052946/http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/news_view.cfm?id=76 |date=4 February 2007}} Accessed 17 January 2007.</ref> Critically, the film was also better received than the first two installments, with some critics remarking its new tone and for being the first ''Harry Potter'' film to truly capture the essence of the novels.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/harry_potter_and_the_prisoner_of_azkaban/|title=Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|access-date=18 February 2020|archive-date=28 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928134022/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/harry_potter_and_the_prisoner_of_azkaban/|url-status=live}}</ref> It has been subsequently rated by audience polls and critics as the best of the movie franchise series.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/mar/17/harry-potter-first-light-award|title= Children vote Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban best film of decade|website= The Guardian|date= 17 March 2011|accessdate= March 27, 2024|last1= Child|first1= Ben}}</ref> The film earned two [[Academy Award]] nominations for [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects|Best Visual Effects]] and [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]] for [[John Williams]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2005|title= 77th Academy Awards|website= [[Academy Awards|Oscars.org]]|date= 5 October 2014|accessdate= March 27, 2024}}</ref> |
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Cuarón began working in television in Mexico, first as a technician and then as a director. His television work led to assignments as an assistant director for several Latin American film productions including ''[[Gaby: A True Story]]'' and ''[[Romero (film)|Romero]]'', and in 1991, he landed his first big-screen directorial assignment. On January 12, 2014, Alfonso accepted the [[Golden Globe Award]] in the category [[Golden Globe Award for Best Director|Best Director]] for [[Gravity (film)|Gravity]] ([[71st Golden Globe Awards|The 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards]], 2014). He also won two Oscars for [[Academy Award for Best Film Editing|Best Film Editing]] and [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]]. |
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In 2006, Cuarón's feature ''[[Children of Men]]'', an adaptation of the [[P. D. James]] [[The Children of Men|novel]] starring [[Clive Owen]], [[Julianne Moore]], and [[Michael Caine]], received wide critical acclaim including three Academy Award nominations. Cuarón himself received two nominations for his work on the film, in [[Academy Award for Best Film Editing|Best Film Editing]] (with [[Alex Rodríguez (film editor)|Alex Rodríguez]]) and [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]] (with several collaborators). |
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===''Sólo con tu pareja''=== |
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''[[Sólo con tu pareja]]'' was a sex comedy about a womanizing businessman (played by [[Daniel Giménez Cacho]]) who, after spurning an attractive nurse, is fooled into believing he's contracted [[AIDS]]. In addition to writing, producing and directing, Cuarón co-edited the film with Luis Patlán. It is somewhat unusual for directors to be credited co-editors, although the [[Coen Brothers]] and [[Robert Rodriguez]] have both directed and edited nearly all of their films. Cuarón continued this close involvement in editing on several of his later films. |
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He created the production and distribution company [[Esperanto Filmoj]] ("Esperanto Films", named because of his support for the international language [[Esperanto]]<ref>[http://esperantodocumentary.com/blog/an-interview-with-director-alfonso-cuaron Interview] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140702024121/http://esperantodocumentary.com/blog/an-interview-with-director-alfonso-cuaron |date=2 July 2014 }} by [[Sam Green]] with Cuarón.</ref>), which has credits in the films ''[[Temporada de patos|Duck Season]]'', ''[[Pan's Labyrinth]]'', and ''[[Gravity (2013 film)|Gravity]]''. Cuarón also directed the controversial public service announcement ''I Am Autism'' (2009) for [[Autism Speaks]] that was criticized by disability rights groups for its negative portrayal of autism.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://asansouthwestohio.blogspot.com/2009/09/autistic-community-condemns-autism.html|title=Autistic Self Advocacy Network, SW Ohio: Autistic Community Condemns Autism Speaks|last=Asansouthwestohio|date=23 September 2009|access-date=25 September 2009|archive-date=8 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708023950/http://asansouthwestohio.blogspot.com/2009/09/autistic-community-condemns-autism.html|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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The film, which also starred cabaret singer [[Astrid Hadad]] and model/actress Claudia Ramírez (with whom Cuarón was linked between 1989 and 1993), was a big hit in Mexico. After this success, director [[Sydney Pollack]] hired Cuarón to direct an episode of ''[[Fallen Angels (TV series)|Fallen Angels]]'', a series of [[neo-noir]] stories produced for the [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]] premium cable network in 1993; other directors who worked on the series included [[Steven Soderbergh]], [[Jonathan Kaplan]], [[Peter Bogdanovich]] and [[Tom Hanks]]. |
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===2010–present: Awards recognition === |
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===International success=== |
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[[File:Alfonso_Cuarón,_President_jury_Venezia_72_(25805089406).jpg|thumb|250px|left|Cuaron at the [[72nd Venice International Film Festival]]]] |
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In 1995, Cuarón released his first feature film produced in the United States, ''[[A Little Princess (1995 film)|A Little Princess]]'', an adaptation of [[Frances Hodgson Burnett]]'s classic novel. Cuarón's next feature was also a literary adaptation, a modernized version of [[Charles Dickens]]'s ''[[Great Expectations (1998 film)|Great Expectations]]'' starring [[Ethan Hawke]], [[Gwyneth Paltrow]] and [[Robert De Niro]]. |
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In 2010, Cuarón began to develop the film ''Gravity'', a drama set in space. He was joined by producer [[David Heyman]], with whom Cuarón worked on ''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban''. Starring [[Sandra Bullock]] and [[George Clooney]], the film opened the [[70th Venice International Film Festival]] in August. The film was then released in America in October 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/05/14/sandra-bullock-gravity-2013|title=Movie News: Movie Reviews, Trailers, Photos - EW.com|access-date=14 June 2012|archive-date=3 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120703002030/http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/05/14/sandra-bullock-gravity-2013/|url-status=live}}</ref> The film became a financial success, earning 723.2 million at the box office against a budget of 130 million.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl89622017/|title= Gravity|website= Box Office Mojo|access-date= November 27, 2020|archive-date= 14 November 2018|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181114114644/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=gravity.htm|url-status= live}}</ref> The film also received many awards nominations. For the film, he received the [[Golden Globe Award]] in the category of [[Golden Globe Award for Best Director|Best Director]]. The film received ten Academy Award nominations, including [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]] and [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]]. Cuarón won for Best Directing, becoming the first Latin American to win the award,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/a26346517/who-is-alfonso-cuaron-roma-director/|title=Who Is Roma Director Alfonso Cuarón? You've Definitely Seen His Incredible Movies|magazine=[[Harper's Bazaar]]|date=February 23, 2019|access-date=February 25, 2019|archive-date=25 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190225225253/https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/a26346517/who-is-alfonso-cuaron-roma-director/|url-status=live}}</ref> while he and [[Mark Sanger]] received the award for Best Film Editing.<ref name="Oscars search">{{cite web|url=http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/|title=Academy Awards Search|publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]]|access-date=February 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723203650/http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/|archive-date=23 July 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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[[File:Alfonso Cuarón (2013) cropped.jpg|thumb|right|Cuarón in 2013]] |
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Cuarón's next project found him returning to Mexico with a Spanish-speaking cast to film ''[[Y Tu Mamá También]]'', starring [[Gael García Bernal]], [[Diego Luna]] and [[Maribel Verdú]]. It was a provocative and controversial road comedy about two sexually obsessed teenagers who take an extended road trip with an attractive married woman in her late twenties. The film's open portrayal of sexuality and frequent rude humor, as well as the politically and socially relevant asides, made the film an international hit and a major success with critics. Cuarón shared an [[Academy Award]] nomination for [[Academy Award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay)|Best Original Screenplay]] with co-writer and brother [[Carlos Cuarón]]. |
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In 2003, Cuarón directed the third film in the successful ''[[Harry Potter (film series)|Harry Potter]]'' series, ''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]''. Cuarón faced criticism from some of the more purist ''[[Harry Potter]]'' fans for his approach to the film. At the time of the movie's release, however, author [[J. K. Rowling]], who had seen and loved Cuarón's film ''Y Tu Mamá También'', said that it was her personal favorite from the series so far.<ref>[http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/news_view.cfm?id=76 J.K. Rowling] Accessed January 17, 2007.</ref> Critically, the film was also better received than the first two installments, with some critics remarking that it was the first ''Harry Potter'' film to truly capture the essence of the novels.<ref>[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/harry_potter_and_the_prisoner_of_azkaban/ RT: Prisoner of Azkaban]</ref> It remained as the most critically acclaimed film of the ''Harry Potter'' film franchise until the release of ''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2]]''. |
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In 2013, Cuarón created ''[[Believe (TV series)|Believe]]'', a science fiction/fantasy/adventure series that was broadcast as part of the 2013–14 United States network television schedule on [[NBC]] as a mid-season entry. The series was created by Cuarón for [[Bad Robot]] and [[Warner Bros.]] Television. In 2014, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' placed him in its list of "[[100 Most Influential People in the World]]" – Pioneers.<ref>{{cite magazine| title = The 100 Most Influential People – Pioneers: Alfonso Cuarón| magazine = [[Time (magazine)|Time]]| url = http://time.com/70897/alfonso-cuaron-2014-time-100/| date = 23 April 2014| access-date = 2014-04-26| archive-date = 26 April 2014| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140426141042/http://time.com/70897/alfonso-cuaron-2014-time-100/| url-status = live}}</ref> |
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Cuarón's feature ''[[Children of Men]]'', an adaptation of the [[P. D. James]] novel starring [[Clive Owen]], [[Julianne Moore]] and [[Michael Caine]], received wide critical acclaim, including three [[Academy Award]] nominations. Cuarón himself received two nominations for his work on the film in [[Academy Award for Best Film Editing|Best Film Editing]] (with [[Alex Rodríguez (film editor)|Alex Rodríguez]]) and [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]] (with several collaborators). |
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In May 2015, Cuarón was announced as the president of the jury for the [[72nd Venice International Film Festival]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/news/11-05.html |title=Director Alfonso Cuarón President of the International Jury for the Venezia 72 Competition |date=11 May 2015 |access-date=11 May 2015 |work=Venice Biennale |archive-date=27 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627182701/http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/news/11-05.html |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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He created the production and distribution company [[Esperanto Filmoj]] (''Esperanto Films'', named because of his support for the international language [[Esperanto]]<ref>[http://esperantodocumentary.com/blog/an-interview-with-director-alfonso-cuaron Interview] by [[Sam Green]] with Cuarón.</ref>), which has credits in the films ''[[Duck Season]]'', ''[[Pan's Labyrinth]]'', and ''[[Gravity (film)|Gravity]]''. |
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[[File:Alfonso Cuarón en Morelia.jpg|thumb|Alfonso Cuarón in [[Morelia International Film Festival]]]] |
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Cuarón also directed the controversial public service announcement "I Am Autism" for [[Autism Speaks]] that was sharply criticized by disability rights groups for its negative portrayal of autism.<ref>[http://asansouthwestohio.blogspot.com/2009/09/autistic-community-condemns-autism.html Autistic Community Condemns Autism Speaks]</ref> |
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Production began in fall 2016 for Cuarón's eighth film, ''[[Roma (2018 film)|Roma]]'', a tale of a housekeeper for a middle class Mexican family in 1970s Mexico City, based on the life of his family's longtime maid, Liboria Rodríguez.<ref>{{cite news|first1=Guy|last1=Lodge|access-date=2019-12-23|title=Roma: why Alfonso Cuaron's Oscar frontrunner is a triumph|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/nov/27/roma-alfonso-cuaron-oscar-frontrunner-triumph|newspaper=The Guardian|date=27 November 2018|issn=0261-3077|via=www.theguardian.com|archive-date=23 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191223134321/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/nov/27/roma-alfonso-cuaron-oscar-frontrunner-triumph|url-status=live}}</ref> The project was produced by Cuarón, [[Gabriela Rodríguez (producer)|Gabriela Rodríguez]] and [[Nicolás Celis (film producer)|Nicolás Celis]] and starred [[Yalitza Aparicio]] and [[Marina de Tavira]] both of whom received [[Academy Awards|Oscar]] nominations. The film debuted at the [[75th Venice International Film Festival]], where it won the [[Golden Lion]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/news/alfonso-cuaron-new-movie-participant-media-1201855134/|title=Alfonso Cuaron Sets Mexican Family Drama as Next Film|last=Kroll|first=Justin|date=8 September 2016|work=Variety|access-date=11 December 2017|archive-date=28 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161028084334/http://variety.com/2016/film/news/alfonso-cuaron-new-movie-participant-media-1201855134/|url-status=live}}</ref> and was distributed to select Mexican and American theaters before its online release on [[Netflix]]. ''Roma'' was highly acclaimed upon release; among its accolades are two Golden Globes ([[Best Foreign Language Film|Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film]] and Best Director for Cuarón) and three Academy Awards (Best Director, [[Academy Award for Best International Feature Film|Best Foreign Language Film]], and [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]] for Cuarón) out of a leading ten nominations.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2019-12-23|title=Netflix's 'Roma' wins three Oscars, including Best Director (but not Best Picture)|date=25 February 2019|url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/02/24/netflix-roma-oscars/|archive-date=16 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316071301/https://techcrunch.com/2019/02/24/netflix-roma-oscars/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first1=Andrew|last1=Pulver|access-date=2019-12-23|title=Alfonso Cuarón wins Oscar for best director for Roma|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/feb/25/alfonso-cuaron-wins-best-director-oscar-for-roma|newspaper=The Guardian|date=25 February 2019|issn=0261-3077|via=www.theguardian.com|archive-date=23 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191223134319/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/feb/25/alfonso-cuaron-wins-best-director-oscar-for-roma|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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In 2019, Cuaron signed an overall TV deal at [[Apple Inc.|Apple]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Otterson|first=Joe|date=2019-10-10|title=Alfonso Cuarón Sets TV Overall Deal at Apple|url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/alfonso-cuaron-sets-tv-overall-deal-at-apple-1203366172/|access-date=2020-12-13|website=Variety|language=en-US|archive-date=17 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417120558/https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/alfonso-cuaron-sets-tv-overall-deal-at-apple-1203366172/|url-status=live}}</ref> His first series for Apple was the psychological thriller ''[[Disclaimer (TV series)|Disclaimer]]'', starring [[Cate Blanchett]] and [[Kevin Kline]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Goldberg|first=Lesley|date=2021-12-01|title=Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline to Topline Alfonso Cuaron Apple Series 'Disclaimer'|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/cate-blanchett-kevin-kline-to-topline-alfonso-cuaron-apple-series-disclaimer-1235055329/|access-date=2021-12-02|website=The Hollywood Reporter|language=en-US|archive-date=9 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221209120413/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/cate-blanchett-kevin-kline-to-topline-alfonso-cuaron-apple-series-disclaimer-1235055329/|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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In 2010, Cuarón began to develop the film ''[[Gravity (film)|Gravity]]'', a drama set in space. He was joined by producer [[David Heyman]], with whom Cuarón worked on ''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]''. Starring [[Sandra Bullock]] and [[George Clooney]], the film was released in the fall of 2013<ref>[http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/05/14/sandra-bullock-gravity-2013 Sandra Bullock, George Clooney sci-fi drama 'Gravity' pushed to 2013]</ref> and opened the [[70th Venice International Film Festival]] in August.<ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2404711/Venice-Film-Festival-2013-Sandra-Bullock-stuns-scarlet-dress-George-Clooney.html Venice Film Festival 2013: Sandra Bullock stuns in a scarlet dress with George Clooney | Mail Online]. Dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved on 2014-05-22.</ref> The film received ten [[Academy Award]] nominations, including [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]] and [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]]. Cuarón won the [[Academy Award]] for [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]], becoming the first Latino to win the award, while he and [[Mark Sanger]] shared the award for [[Academy Award for Best Film Editing|Best Film Editing]]. |
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== Style == |
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In 2013, Cuarón created ''[[Believe (TV series)|Believe]]'', a science fiction/fantasy/adventure series that is being broadcast as part of the 2013–14 United States network television schedule on NBC as a mid-season entry. The series was created by Cuarón for Bad Robot Productions and Warner Bros. Television. In 2014, ''[[TIME]]'' placed him in its list of "[[100 Most Influential People in the World]]" - Pioneers. <ref>{{cite news | title =The 100 Most Influential People - Pioneers: Alfonso Cuarón |
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Cuaron's style is a mix of several mainstream Hollywood conventions while breaking from that dominant influence by taking an unorthodox approach that uses voiceover narration and by unconventionally lengthy shots. These longer cuts, narration, and often, moving cameras are more typical of [[documentary film]].<ref name="vulture2013" /> |
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|publisher= TIME.com| url = http://time.com/70897/alfonso-cuaron-2014-time-100/|date=April 23, 2014| accessdate = 2014-04-26 }}</ref> |
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In his first feature film the average shot length is around six seconds, and ten years later for ''Y, Tu Mama Tambien'' the average increased to 19.6 seconds. ''The Prisoner of Azkaban'' had a more conventional average {{frac|5|1|2}} seconds, then the subsequent ''Children of Men'' had an extraordinary average of 16 seconds between cuts. A typical Hollywood movie cuts every two seconds.<ref>Udden, James. 2009. "Child of the Long Take: Alfonso Cuaron's Film Aesthetics in the Shadow of Globalization." Style (University Park,PA) 43 (1): 26-44.</ref> Cuarón work in Hollywood at points his career shows mainstream Hollywood influences, which has spilled over to less mainstream films mode outside of Hollywood. ''Children of Men'' was influenced by disaster and science fiction movie conventions. ''The Prisoner of Azkaban'' was a continuation of Cuarón's take on the coming-of-age genre after ''Y, Tu Mama Tambien''.<ref>Baer, Hester, and Ryan Long. "Transnational Cinema and the Mexican State in Alfonso Cuarón's 'Y Tu Mamá También." South Central Review 21, no. 3 (2004): 150-68.</ref> That film is in the form of an American road movie, along with teen movie elements.<ref>Tierney, Dolores, "From Hollywood and Back: Alfonso Cuarón Adventures in Genre," in New Transnationalisms in Contemporary Latin America Cinemas (Edinburgh University Press, 2018), 76.</ref> Voice-over narration adds to those genres a documentary feel. The narration, interjected by a non-diagetic voice not belonging to any character, highlights the socioeconomic state of the not only main characters, but also minor characters who otherwise seem irrelevant to the overall narrative. |
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==Themes== |
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As mentioned above, the voice-over narration in ''Y Tu Mama Tambien'' contains political messages. In the aforementioned film Cuarón tackles Mexican identity and sovereignty. With the backdrop of the 1990s and the advent of NAFTA and neoliberalism in Mexico, Cuarón critiques Mexico for the path they are heading towards a globalized economy and world.<ref>Saldaña-Portillo, Maria Josefina. "In the Shadow of NAFTA: Y Tu Mamá También Revisits the National Allegory of Mexican Sovereignty." American Quarterly 57, no. 3 (2005): 751-77.</ref> Cuarón also addresses Mexican history such as colonialism and the long unfulfilled promises of the Mexican Revolution of 1910. Using the same film as an example the narrator states that a new political party is in power, but hints that no real change will come about. This is also supported with one of the main characters, Julio, sharing a last name with the Mexican Revolutionary Emiliano Zapata, yet the name does not push Julio into action or in other words he lacks the initiative and interest in the country.<ref>Hind, Emily “"Provincia in Recent Mexican Cinema, 1989-2004," Discourse 26, no. 1 & 2 (2004): 26.</ref> These same themes of identity and history, particularly of Mexico, were first addressed in his first feature film ''Solo con tu pareja''. In both films Cuarón uses allegory that ties into a national identity and/or history. On top of these themes he also tackles class, but that can be considered a subcategory of economics or politics in which he already grapples with. |
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==Personal life== |
==Personal life== |
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Cuarón's first marriage was to Mariana Elizondo with whom he has a son, [[Jonás Cuarón]], born in 1981. Jonás is also a film director, known for ''[[Year of the Nail]]'' and ''[[Desierto]]''.<ref name="separation">{{cite news |title=Anuncia Cuarón separación matrimonial de su segunda esposa |url=http://www.cronica.com.mx/notas/2008/368822.html |access-date=21 December 2018 |work=La Crónica |agency=[[Notimex]]|date=23 June 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181221014235/http://www.cronica.com.mx/notas/2008/368822.html |archive-date=21 December 2018 |language=es }}</ref> Alfonso's second marriage, from 2001 to 2008, was to Italian actress and freelance journalist Annalisa Bugliani, with whom he has two children.<ref name="separation"/> |
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Cuarón has been living in [[London]] since 2000.<ref>[http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/feb/16/baftas-2014-alfonso-cuaron-best-director-award Baftas 2014: Alfonso Cuarón wins best director for Gravity | Film]. theguardian.com. Retrieved on 2014-05-22.</ref> He was married to [[Italy|Italian]] actress and freelance journalist Annalisa Bugliani from 2001 to 2008. They have two children: daughter Tess Bu Cuarón (born 2003) and son Olmo Teodoro Cuarón (born 2005). |
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He has publicly shown his fascination for the Esperanto language and his support for the [[Esperanto movement]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Universal Language {{!}} An Interview with Director Alfonso Cuarón|url=http://esperantodocumentary.com/blog/an-interview-with-director-alfonso-cuaron.html|website=esperantodocumentary.com|access-date=2020-05-10|archive-date=21 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190221100221/http://esperantodocumentary.com/blog/an-interview-with-director-alfonso-cuaron.html|url-status=live}}</ref> He called his production company Esperanto Filmoj. In October 2023, Cuarón signed an open letter from artists to US President Joe Biden calling for a ceasefire of [[2023 Israel–Hamas war|Israeli bombardment in Gaza]].<ref>{{cite news |title='People are being penalised': Hollywood divided over Israel-Hamas conflict |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/dec/02/hollywood-divide-israel-gaza-conflict-susan-sarandon-cynthia-nixon |work=The Guardian |date=2 December 2023}}</ref> |
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Cuarón is a vegetarian<ref name="vulture2013">{{cite web | author = Dan P. Lee | work = [[New York (magazine)|New York]] | via = Vulture.com | url = https://www.vulture.com/2013/09/director-alfonso-cuaron-on-making-gravity.html | title = The Camera's Cusp: Alfonso Cuarón Takes Filmmaking to a New Extreme With Gravity | date = 22 September 2013 | access-date = 12 July 2015 | archive-date = 25 September 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130925035522/http://www.vulture.com/2013/09/director-alfonso-cuaron-on-making-gravity.html | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{ cite web|url=https://www.loquetlondon.com/blog/sheherazade-goldsmith-vogue/ |title=Vogue Arts – Down to Earth |publisher=Loquet London |access-date=26 July 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212115303/http://www.loquetlondon.com/blog/sheherazade-goldsmith-vogue/ |archive-date=12 December 2013 |date=12 December 2013}}</ref> and has been living in [[London]] since 2000.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/feb/16/baftas-2014-alfonso-cuaron-best-director-award Baftas 2014: Alfonso Cuarón wins best director for Gravity | Film] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190405165824/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/feb/16/baftas-2014-alfonso-cuaron-best-director-award |date=5 April 2019 }}. theguardian.com. Retrieved on 2014-05-22.</ref> |
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==Filmography== |
==Filmography== |
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{{main|Alfonso Cuarón filmography}} |
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{| class="wikitable" |
|||
|+Directed features |
|||
! Year |
|||
! Title |
|||
! Distributor |
|||
|- |
|||
| 1991 |
|||
| ''[[Sólo con tu pareja]]'' |
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|rowspan=2| [[Warner Bros.]] |
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|- |
|||
| 1995 |
|||
| ''[[A Little Princess (1995 film)|A Little Princess]]'' |
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|- |
|||
| 1998 |
|||
| ''[[Great Expectations (1998 film)|Great Expectations]]'' |
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| [[20th Century Studios|20th Century Fox]] |
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|- |
|||
| 2001 |
|||
| ''[[Y tu mamá también]]'' |
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| [[IFC Films]] |
|||
|- |
|||
| 2004 |
|||
| ''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]'' |
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| Warner Bros. Pictures |
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|- |
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| 2006 |
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| ''[[Children of Men]]'' |
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| [[Universal Pictures]] |
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|- |
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| 2013 |
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| ''[[Gravity (2013 film)|Gravity]]'' |
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| Warner Bros. Pictures |
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|- |
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| 2018 |
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| ''[[Roma (2018 film)|Roma]]'' |
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| [[Netflix]] |
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|- |
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|} |
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==Awards and nominations== |
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{{main|List of awards and nominations received by Alfonso Cuarón}} |
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<!--Table is for nominations & wins received only by films directed by Cuarón.--> |
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===Feature films=== |
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{| class="wikitable" |
{| class="wikitable" |
||
|- |
|- |
||
! rowspan="2" |
! rowspan="2" | Year |
||
! rowspan="2"| |
! rowspan="2" | Title |
||
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" width=160| Academy Awards |
|||
! colspan="6"|Credited as |
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! colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" width=160| BAFTA Awards |
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! colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" width=160| Golden Globe Awards |
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|- |
|- |
||
! Nominations |
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! width=65 | [[Film director|Director]] |
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! Wins |
|||
! width=65 |[[Screenwriter|Writer]] |
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! Nominations |
|||
! width=65 |[[Film producer|Producer]] |
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! Wins |
|||
! width=65 |[[Film editor|Editor]] |
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! Nominations |
|||
! width=65 |[[Assistant director]] |
|||
! Wins |
|||
! width=65 |[[Associate producer]] |
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|- |
|||
|- style="text-align:center;" |
|||
|1995 |
|||
|| 1986 |
|||
|''A Little Princess'' |
|||
| style="text-align:left;"| ''Les Pyramides Bleues'' |
|||
|align=center|2 |
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
| |
| |
||
| |
| |
||
| {{yes}} |
|||
| |
| |
||
|- style="text-align:center;" |
|||
|| 1989 |
|||
| style="text-align:left;"| ''[[Romero (film)|Romero]]'' |
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
| |
| |
||
| |
| |
||
|- |
|||
| {{yes}} |
|||
|2001 |
|||
|''Y tu mamá también'' |
|||
|align=center|1 |
|||
| |
| |
||
| |
|align=center|2 |
||
|| 1991 |
|||
| style="text-align:left;"| ''[[Sólo con tu pareja]]'' |
|||
| {{yes}} |
|||
| {{yes}} |
|||
| {{yes}} |
|||
| {{yes}} |
|||
| |
|||
| |
| |
||
| |
|align=center|1 |
||
|| 1995 |
|||
| style="text-align:left;"| ''[[A Little Princess (1995 film)|A Little Princess]]'' |
|||
| {{yes}} |
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
| |
| |
||
|- |
|||
|- style="text-align:center;" |
|||
|2004 |
|||
|| 1998 |
|||
|''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' |
|||
| style="text-align:left;"| ''[[Great Expectations (1998 film)|Great Expectations]]'' |
|||
|align=center|2 |
|||
| {{yes}} |
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
| |
| |
||
| |
|align=center|4 |
||
|| 2001 |
|||
| style="text-align:left;"| ''[[Y Tu Mamá También]]'' |
|||
| {{yes}} |
|||
| {{yes}} |
|||
| {{yes}} |
|||
| {{yes}} |
|||
| |
|||
| |
| |
||
|- style="text-align:center;" |
|||
| rowspan="3"| 2004 |
|||
| style="text-align:left;"| ''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]'' |
|||
| {{yes}} |
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
| |
| |
||
| |
| |
||
|- |
|||
|- style="text-align:center;" |
|||
|rowspan=1|2006 |
|||
| style="text-align:left;"| ''[[Crónicas]]'' |
|||
|''Children of Men'' |
|||
| |
|||
|align=center|3 |
|||
| |
|||
| {{yes}} |
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
| |
| |
||
| |
|align=center|3 |
||
|align=center|2 |
|||
| style="text-align:left;"| ''[[The Assassination of Richard Nixon]]'' |
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
| {{yes}} |
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
| |
| |
||
|- style="text-align:center;" |
|||
|| 2005 |
|||
| style="text-align:left;"| ''[[Black Sun (documentary)|Black Sun]]'' |
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
| {{yes}} |
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
| |
| |
||
|- style="text-align:center;" |
|||
| rowspan="2"| 2006 |
|||
| style="text-align:left;"| ''[[Children of Men]]'' |
|||
| {{yes}} |
|||
| {{yes}} |
|||
| |
|||
| {{yes}} |
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
|- style="text-align:center;" |
|||
| style="text-align:left;"| ''[[Pan's Labyrinth]]'' |
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
| {{yes}} |
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
|- style="text-align:center;" |
|||
|| 2007 |
|||
| style="text-align:left;"| ''Year of the Nail'' |
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
| {{yes}} |
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
|- style="text-align:center;" |
|||
|| 2008 |
|||
| style="text-align:left;"| ''[[Rudo y Cursi]]'' |
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
| {{yes}} |
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
|- style="text-align:center;" |
|||
|| 2010 |
|||
| style="text-align:left;"| ''[[Biutiful]]'' |
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
| {{yes}} |
|||
|- style="text-align:center;" |
|||
|| 2013 |
|||
| style="text-align:left;"| ''[[Gravity (film)|Gravity]]'' |
|||
| {{yes}} |
|||
| {{yes}} |
|||
| {{yes}} |
|||
| {{yes}} |
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
|} |
|||
===Short films=== |
|||
* ''Who's He Anyway'' (1983) |
|||
* ''Vengeance Is Mine'' (1983) Co-director |
|||
* ''Cuarteto para el fin del tiempo'' (1983) |
|||
* ''[[Paris, je t'aime]]'' (2006) (segment "Parc Monceau") |
|||
* ''The Shock Doctrine'' (2007) |
|||
===Documentary films=== |
|||
* ''The Possibility of Hope'' (2007) Short |
|||
===TV=== |
|||
* ''[[La Hora Marcada]]'' (1986) (episodes "Ángel Pérez", "El taxi", "Zangamanga", "No estoy jugando" and "A veces regresa") |
|||
* ''[[Fallen Angels (TV series)|Fallen Angels]]'' (1993) (episode "Murder, Obliquely") |
|||
* ''[[Believe (TV series)|Believe]]'' (2014) |
|||
==Awards and nominations== |
|||
<!-- all film industry awards? --> |
|||
{| class="wikitable sortable" |
|||
|- |
|- |
||
|2013 |
|||
! Year |
|||
|''Gravity'' |
|||
! Award |
|||
|align=center|10 |
|||
! Category |
|||
|align=center|7 |
|||
! Nominated work |
|||
|align=center|11 |
|||
! Result |
|||
|align=center|6 |
|||
|align=center|4 |
|||
|align=center|1 |
|||
|- |
|- |
||
|2018 |
|||
|rowspan=2|2001 |
|||
|''Roma'' |
|||
|rowspan=2|[[Venice Film Festival]] |
|||
|align=center|10 |
|||
|[[Golden Lion]] |
|||
|align=center|3 |
|||
|rowspan=6|<center>''[[Y tu mamá también]]'' |
|||
|align=center|7 |
|||
|{{nom}} |
|||
|align=center|4 |
|||
|align=center|3 |
|||
|align=center|2 |
|||
|- |
|- |
||
!colspan="2"|Total |
|||
|Best Screenplay |
|||
!align=center|28 |
|||
|{{won}} |
|||
!align=center|10 |
|||
|- |
|||
!align=center|27 |
|||
|rowspan=4|2003 |
|||
!align=center|12 |
|||
|[[Academy Awards]] |
|||
!align=center|8 |
|||
|[[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Screenplay - Original]] |
|||
!align=center|3 |
|||
|{{nom}} |
|||
|- |
|||
|rowspan=2|[[British Academy Film Awards]] |
|||
|Best Film Not in the English Language |
|||
|{{nom}} |
|||
|- |
|||
|Best Screenplay - Original |
|||
|{{nom}} |
|||
|- |
|||
|[[Independent Spirit Awards]] |
|||
|Best Foreign Film |
|||
|{{won}} |
|||
|- |
|||
|rowspan=2|2004 |
|||
|[[British Academy Film Awards]] |
|||
|BAFTA Children's Award - Best Feature Film |
|||
|rowspan=3|<center>''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]'' |
|||
|{{won}} |
|||
|- |
|||
|[[Saturn Awards]] |
|||
|Best Director |
|||
|{{nom}} |
|||
|- |
|||
||2005 |
|||
|[[British Academy Film Awards]] |
|||
|Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film |
|||
|{{nom}} |
|||
|- |
|||
|rowspan=3|2006 |
|||
|rowspan=2|[[Venice Film Festival]] |
|||
|[[Golden Lion]] |
|||
|rowspan=5|<center>''[[Children of Men]]'' |
|||
|{{nom}} |
|||
|- |
|||
|Laterna Magica Prize |
|||
|{{won}} |
|||
|- |
|||
|[[Saturn Awards]] |
|||
|Best Director |
|||
|{{nom}} |
|||
|- |
|||
|rowspan=4|2007 |
|||
|rowspan=2|[[Academy Awards]] |
|||
|[[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Screenplay - Adapted]] |
|||
|{{nom}} |
|||
|- |
|||
|[[Academy Award for Best Editing|Best Editing]] |
|||
|{{nom}} |
|||
|- |
|||
|[[British Academy Film Awards]] |
|||
|Best Film Not in the English Language |
|||
|rowspan=2|<center>''[[Pan's Labyrinth]]'' |
|||
|{{won}} |
|||
|- |
|||
|[[Independent Spirit Awards]] |
|||
|Best Feature |
|||
|{{nom}} |
|||
|- |
|||
|rowspan=2|2011 |
|||
|rowspan=2|[[British Academy Film Awards]] |
|||
|BAFTA Children's Award - First Light Awards - Kids' Vote for Film of the Decade |
|||
|<center>''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]'' |
|||
|{{won}} |
|||
|- |
|||
|Michael Balcon Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema |
|||
|<center>''Harry Potter'' series (shared with ''Harry Potter'' cast and crew) |
|||
|{{won}} |
|||
|- |
|||
||2013 |
|||
|[[Venice Film Festival]] |
|||
|Future Film Digital Award |
|||
|rowspan=16|<center>''[[Gravity (film)|Gravity]]'' |
|||
|{{won}} |
|||
|- |
|||
|rowspan=15|2014 |
|||
|rowspan=3|[[Academy Awards]] |
|||
|[[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]] |
|||
|{{Nominated}} |
|||
|- |
|||
|[[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]] |
|||
|{{won}} |
|||
|- |
|||
|[[Academy Award for Best Film Editing|Best Film Editing]] |
|||
|{{won}} |
|||
|- |
|||
|rowspan=5|[[British Academy Film Awards]] |
|||
|[[BAFTA Award for Best Film|Best Film]] |
|||
|{{nom}} |
|||
|- |
|||
|[[BAFTA Award for Best Direction|Best Director]] |
|||
|{{won}} |
|||
|- |
|||
|[[BAFTA Award for Best Film|Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film]] |
|||
|{{won}} |
|||
|- |
|||
|[[BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Original Screenplay]] |
|||
|{{nom}} |
|||
|- |
|||
|[[BAFTA Award for Best Editing|Best Editing]] |
|||
|{{nom}} |
|||
|- |
|||
|[[Critics' Choice Movie Award]] |
|||
|[[Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Director|Best Director]] |
|||
|{{won}} |
|||
|- |
|||
|[[Directors Guild of America Award]] |
|||
|[[Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing - Feature Film|Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures]] |
|||
|{{won}} |
|||
|- |
|||
|[[19th Empire Awards|Empire Awards]] |
|||
|[[Empire Award for Best Director|Best Director]] |
|||
|{{won}} |
|||
|- |
|||
|[[Golden Globe Awards]] |
|||
|[[Golden Globe Award for Best Director|Best Director]] |
|||
|{{won}} |
|||
|- |
|||
|[[Producers Guild of America Award]] |
|||
|[[Producers Guild of America Award for Best Theatrical Motion Picture|Best Theatrical Motion Picture]] |
|||
|{{won}} |
|||
|- |
|||
|[[40th Saturn Awards|Saturn Award]] |
|||
|[[Saturn Award for Best Director|Best Director]] |
|||
|{{won}} |
|||
|- |
|||
|[[Argentine Film Critics Association|Silver Condor Award]] |
|||
|[[Silver Condor Award for Best Foreign Film|Best Foreign Film]] |
|||
|{{pending}} |
|||
|} |
|} |
||
==Notes== |
|||
{{Notelist}} |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
||
* [[Esperanto Filmoj]] |
|||
* [[Cha Cha Cha Films]] |
* [[Cha Cha Cha Films]] |
||
* [[Cinema of Mexico]] |
|||
* [[List of Academy Award records]] |
|||
==References== |
==References== |
||
{{ |
{{reflist|30em}} |
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{{reflist}} |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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{{commons category}} |
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* {{IMDb name|0190859|Alfonso Cuarón}} |
* {{IMDb name|0190859|Alfonso Cuarón}} |
||
* [http://www.bafta.org/learning/webcasts/a-life-in-pictures-alfonso-cuaron,370,BA.html Alfonso Cuarón: A Life in Pictures], [[BAFTA]] webcast, July |
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080803230520/http://www.bafta.org/learning/webcasts/a-life-in-pictures-alfonso-cuaron,370,BA.html Alfonso Cuarón: A Life in Pictures], [[BAFTA]] webcast, 27 July 2007 |
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{{Alfonso Cuarón}} |
{{Alfonso Cuarón}} |
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{{Harry Potter film crew}} |
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{{Navboxes |
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|title = Awards for Alfonso Cuarón |
|title = [[List of awards and nominations received by Alfonso Cuarón|Awards for Alfonso Cuarón]] |
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{{Academy Award Best Foreign Language Film}} |
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{{AARP Movies for Grownups Award for Best Director}} |
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{{Austin Film Critics Association Award for Best Director}} |
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{{Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Cinematography}} |
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{{Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Director}} |
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{{Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography}} |
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{{Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Director}} |
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{{Empire Award for Best Director}} |
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{{Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Director}} |
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{{Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Cinematography}} |
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{{London Film Critics Circle Award for Director of the Year}} |
{{London Film Critics Circle Award for Director of the Year}} |
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{{Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Director}} |
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{{Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography}} |
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{{Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Editing}} |
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{{National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Director}} |
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{{National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cinematography}} |
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{{Nebula Award for Best Script/Bradbury Award}} |
{{Nebula Award for Best Script/Bradbury Award}} |
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{{New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director}} |
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{{New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cinematographer}} |
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{{Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Director}} |
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{{Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Adapted Screenplay}} |
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{{Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Cinematography}} |
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{{Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Editing}} |
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{{Platino Award for Best Director}} |
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{{Platino Award for Best Screenplay}} |
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{{San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Director}} |
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{{San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director}} |
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{{San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cinematography}} |
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{{Satellite Award Best Director}} |
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{{Saturn Award for Best Director}} |
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{{Seattle Film Critics Society Award for Best Director}} |
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{{Seattle Film Critics Society Award for Best Cinematography}} |
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{{St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography}} |
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{{TFCA Award for Best Director}} |
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{{USC Scripter Awards — Film}} |
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{{Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director}} |
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{{Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Director}} |
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{{Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography}} |
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{{Venice Film Festival jury presidents}} |
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{{Authority control|VIAF=39578900|LCCN=nr00036703}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
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{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. --> |
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| NAME = Cuaron, Alfonso |
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| ALTERNATIVE NAMES = |
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| SHORT DESCRIPTION = Mexican film director |
|||
| DATE OF BIRTH = November 28, 1961 |
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| PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Mexico City]], Mexico |
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| DATE OF DEATH = |
|||
| PLACE OF DEATH = |
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}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cuaron, Alfonso}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cuaron, Alfonso}} |
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[[Category:1961 births]] |
[[Category:1961 births]] |
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[[Category:Living people]] |
[[Category:Living people]] |
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[[Category:Best Cinematographer Academy Award winners]] |
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[[Category:Best Cinematography BAFTA Award winners]] |
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[[Category:Best Directing Academy Award winners]] |
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[[Category:Best Director AACTA International Award winners]] |
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[[Category:Best Director BAFTA Award winners]] |
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[[Category:Best Director Golden Globe winners]] |
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[[Category:Best Film Editing Academy Award winners]] |
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[[Category:Directors Guild of America Award winners]] |
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[[Category:Directors of Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award winners]] |
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[[Category:Directors of Golden Lion winners]] |
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[[Category:English-language film directors]] |
[[Category:English-language film directors]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Fantasy film directors]] |
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[[Category:Filmmakers who won the Best Film BAFTA Award]] |
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[[Category:Filmmakers who won the Best Foreign Language Film BAFTA Award]] |
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[[Category:Film directors from Mexico City]] |
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[[Category:Hugo Award–winning writers]] |
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[[Category:Mexican cinematographers]] |
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[[Category:Mexican Esperantists]] |
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[[Category:Mexican expatriates in the United Kingdom]] |
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[[Category:Mexican people of Spanish descent]] |
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[[Category:National Autonomous University of Mexico alumni]] |
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Latest revision as of 12:43, 22 November 2024
Alfonso Cuarón | |
---|---|
Born | Alfonso Tiberio Cuarón Orozco 28 November 1961 Mexico City, Mexico |
Alma mater | National Autonomous University of Mexico |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1981–present |
Spouses | Mariana Elizondo
(m. 1980; div. 1993)Annalisa Bugliani
(m. 2001; div. 2008) |
Children | 3, including Jonás Cuarón |
Relatives | Carlos Cuarón (brother) |
Awards | Full list |
Alfonso Tiberio Cuarón Orozco[a] (US: /kwɑːˈroʊn/ kwar-OHN;[1] Spanish: [alˈfonso kwaˈɾon] ; born 28 November 1961) is a Mexican filmmaker. His accolades include five Academy Awards, seven BAFTA Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards.
Cuarón made his feature film debut with the romantic comedy Sólo con tu pareja (1991), and directed the film adaptations A Little Princess (1995), and Great Expectations (1998). His breakthrough came with the coming-of-age film Y tu mamá también (2001) which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. He gained greater prominence for directing the fantasy film Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), the dystopian drama Children of Men (2006), the science fiction drama Gravity (2013), and the semi-autobiographical drama Roma (2018). The latter two won him Academy Awards for Best Director. He also won Best Film Editing for Gravity and Best Cinematography for Roma.[2]
Early life and education
[edit]Cuarón was born in Mexico City, the son of Alfredo Cuarón, a doctor specializing in nuclear medicine, and Cristina Orozco, a pharmaceutical biochemist.[3] He has a sister Christina, and two brothers; Carlos, also a filmmaker,[4] and Alfredo, a conservation biologist.[5] Cuarón studied philosophy at the National Autonomous University of Mexico and filmmaking at the Centro Universitario de Estudios Cinematográficos,[6] a school within the same university. There he met the director Carlos Marcovich and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki,[6] and they made what would be his first short film, Vengeance Is Mine.[7]
Career
[edit]1990–1999: Rise to prominence
[edit]Cuarón began working on television in Mexico, first as a technician and then as a director. His television work led to assignments as an assistant director for several film productions including La Gran Fiesta (1985), Gaby: A True Story (1987) and Romero (1989). In 1991 he landed his first big-screen directorial assignment, Sólo con tu pareja, a sex comedy about a womanizing businessman (played by Daniel Giménez Cacho) who, after having sex with an attractive nurse, is fooled into believing he's contracted AIDS. In addition to writing, producing and directing, Cuarón co-edited the film with Luis Patlán.[8] The film, which also starred cabaret singer Astrid Hadad and model/actress Claudia Ramírez (with whom Cuarón was linked between 1989 and 1993) was a big hit in Mexico. After this success, director Sydney Pollack hired Cuarón to direct an episode of Fallen Angels, a series of neo-noir stories produced for the Showtime premium cable network in 1993; other directors who worked on the series included Steven Soderbergh, Jonathan Kaplan, Peter Bogdanovich, and Tom Hanks. The episode was entitled, "Murder, Obliquely" (1993) starring Laura Dern, Alan Rickman, and Diane Lane.[9]
In 1995, Cuarón released his first feature film produced in the United States, A Little Princess, an adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic 1905 novel of the same name. The film received critical acclaim with Janet Maslin of The New York Times declaring, "[the film] is a bright, beautiful and enchantingly childlike vision", one that "draw[s] its audience into the wittily heightened reality of a fairy tale" and "takes enough liberties to re-invent rather than embalm Miss Burnett's assiduously beloved story".[10] The film went on to receive two Academy Award nominations for Best Cinematography and Best Production Design.[11] Cuarón's next feature was also a literary adaptation, a modernized version of Charles Dickens's Great Expectations starring Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Robert De Niro. The film received mixed reviews to negative reviews.[12] Russell Smith of The Austin Chronicle did however praise the film writing, ". What's truly intriguing about this film, though, is the stylishness with which Cuaron (A Little Princess) reinvents Dickens' hoary, often-remade tale. This Great Expectations has a seductive, enchanting feel that has nothing to do with sweet, gauzy sentiments or calculatedly “magical” Hollywood imagery".[13]
2000–2009: Career breakthrough and success
[edit]In 2001, Cuarón found himself returning to Mexico with a Spanish-speaking cast to film Y tu mamá también, starring Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna and Maribel Verdú. It was a provocative and controversial road comedy about two sexually obsessed teenagers who take an extended road trip with an attractive married woman who is much older than they. The film's open portrayal of sexuality and frequent rude humor, as well as the politically and socially relevant asides, made the film an international hit and a major success with critics.[14][15] The film was distributed through IFC in America allowing the film to collecte $13.8 million in the United States, unparalleled at the time for Latin American films.[16] Critic Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times wrote, "It is clear Cuaron is a gifted director, and here he does his best work to date."[17] Cuarón shared an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay with co-writer and brother Carlos Cuarón.
In 2004, Cuarón directed the third film in the successful Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Cuarón faced criticism at the time from some Harry Potter fans for his approach to the film, notably its tendency to take more creative liberties with the source material than its predecessors.[18] However, author J. K. Rowling, who had seen and loved Cuarón's film Y tu mamá también, said that it was her personal favorite from the series so far.[19] Critically, the film was also better received than the first two installments, with some critics remarking its new tone and for being the first Harry Potter film to truly capture the essence of the novels.[20] It has been subsequently rated by audience polls and critics as the best of the movie franchise series.[21] The film earned two Academy Award nominations for Best Visual Effects and Best Original Score for John Williams.[22]
In 2006, Cuarón's feature Children of Men, an adaptation of the P. D. James novel starring Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, and Michael Caine, received wide critical acclaim including three Academy Award nominations. Cuarón himself received two nominations for his work on the film, in Best Film Editing (with Alex Rodríguez) and Best Adapted Screenplay (with several collaborators).
He created the production and distribution company Esperanto Filmoj ("Esperanto Films", named because of his support for the international language Esperanto[23]), which has credits in the films Duck Season, Pan's Labyrinth, and Gravity. Cuarón also directed the controversial public service announcement I Am Autism (2009) for Autism Speaks that was criticized by disability rights groups for its negative portrayal of autism.[24]
2010–present: Awards recognition
[edit]In 2010, Cuarón began to develop the film Gravity, a drama set in space. He was joined by producer David Heyman, with whom Cuarón worked on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, the film opened the 70th Venice International Film Festival in August. The film was then released in America in October 2013.[25] The film became a financial success, earning 723.2 million at the box office against a budget of 130 million.[26] The film also received many awards nominations. For the film, he received the Golden Globe Award in the category of Best Director. The film received ten Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. Cuarón won for Best Directing, becoming the first Latin American to win the award,[27] while he and Mark Sanger received the award for Best Film Editing.[28]
In 2013, Cuarón created Believe, a science fiction/fantasy/adventure series that was broadcast as part of the 2013–14 United States network television schedule on NBC as a mid-season entry. The series was created by Cuarón for Bad Robot and Warner Bros. Television. In 2014, Time placed him in its list of "100 Most Influential People in the World" – Pioneers.[29]
In May 2015, Cuarón was announced as the president of the jury for the 72nd Venice International Film Festival.[30]
Production began in fall 2016 for Cuarón's eighth film, Roma, a tale of a housekeeper for a middle class Mexican family in 1970s Mexico City, based on the life of his family's longtime maid, Liboria Rodríguez.[31] The project was produced by Cuarón, Gabriela Rodríguez and Nicolás Celis and starred Yalitza Aparicio and Marina de Tavira both of whom received Oscar nominations. The film debuted at the 75th Venice International Film Festival, where it won the Golden Lion,[32] and was distributed to select Mexican and American theaters before its online release on Netflix. Roma was highly acclaimed upon release; among its accolades are two Golden Globes (Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Director for Cuarón) and three Academy Awards (Best Director, Best Foreign Language Film, and Best Cinematography for Cuarón) out of a leading ten nominations.[33][34]
In 2019, Cuaron signed an overall TV deal at Apple.[35] His first series for Apple was the psychological thriller Disclaimer, starring Cate Blanchett and Kevin Kline.[36]
Style
[edit]Cuaron's style is a mix of several mainstream Hollywood conventions while breaking from that dominant influence by taking an unorthodox approach that uses voiceover narration and by unconventionally lengthy shots. These longer cuts, narration, and often, moving cameras are more typical of documentary film.[37]
In his first feature film the average shot length is around six seconds, and ten years later for Y, Tu Mama Tambien the average increased to 19.6 seconds. The Prisoner of Azkaban had a more conventional average 5+1⁄2 seconds, then the subsequent Children of Men had an extraordinary average of 16 seconds between cuts. A typical Hollywood movie cuts every two seconds.[38] Cuarón work in Hollywood at points his career shows mainstream Hollywood influences, which has spilled over to less mainstream films mode outside of Hollywood. Children of Men was influenced by disaster and science fiction movie conventions. The Prisoner of Azkaban was a continuation of Cuarón's take on the coming-of-age genre after Y, Tu Mama Tambien.[39] That film is in the form of an American road movie, along with teen movie elements.[40] Voice-over narration adds to those genres a documentary feel. The narration, interjected by a non-diagetic voice not belonging to any character, highlights the socioeconomic state of the not only main characters, but also minor characters who otherwise seem irrelevant to the overall narrative.
Themes
[edit]As mentioned above, the voice-over narration in Y Tu Mama Tambien contains political messages. In the aforementioned film Cuarón tackles Mexican identity and sovereignty. With the backdrop of the 1990s and the advent of NAFTA and neoliberalism in Mexico, Cuarón critiques Mexico for the path they are heading towards a globalized economy and world.[41] Cuarón also addresses Mexican history such as colonialism and the long unfulfilled promises of the Mexican Revolution of 1910. Using the same film as an example the narrator states that a new political party is in power, but hints that no real change will come about. This is also supported with one of the main characters, Julio, sharing a last name with the Mexican Revolutionary Emiliano Zapata, yet the name does not push Julio into action or in other words he lacks the initiative and interest in the country.[42] These same themes of identity and history, particularly of Mexico, were first addressed in his first feature film Solo con tu pareja. In both films Cuarón uses allegory that ties into a national identity and/or history. On top of these themes he also tackles class, but that can be considered a subcategory of economics or politics in which he already grapples with.
Personal life
[edit]Cuarón's first marriage was to Mariana Elizondo with whom he has a son, Jonás Cuarón, born in 1981. Jonás is also a film director, known for Year of the Nail and Desierto.[43] Alfonso's second marriage, from 2001 to 2008, was to Italian actress and freelance journalist Annalisa Bugliani, with whom he has two children.[43]
He has publicly shown his fascination for the Esperanto language and his support for the Esperanto movement.[44] He called his production company Esperanto Filmoj. In October 2023, Cuarón signed an open letter from artists to US President Joe Biden calling for a ceasefire of Israeli bombardment in Gaza.[45]
Cuarón is a vegetarian[37][46] and has been living in London since 2000.[47]
Filmography
[edit]Year | Title | Distributor |
---|---|---|
1991 | Sólo con tu pareja | Warner Bros. |
1995 | A Little Princess | |
1998 | Great Expectations | 20th Century Fox |
2001 | Y tu mamá también | IFC Films |
2004 | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | Warner Bros. Pictures |
2006 | Children of Men | Universal Pictures |
2013 | Gravity | Warner Bros. Pictures |
2018 | Roma | Netflix |
Awards and nominations
[edit]Year | Title | Academy Awards | BAFTA Awards | Golden Globe Awards | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nominations | Wins | Nominations | Wins | Nominations | Wins | ||
1995 | A Little Princess | 2 | |||||
2001 | Y tu mamá también | 1 | 2 | 1 | |||
2004 | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | 2 | 4 | ||||
2006 | Children of Men | 3 | 3 | 2 | |||
2013 | Gravity | 10 | 7 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 1 |
2018 | Roma | 10 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
Total | 28 | 10 | 27 | 12 | 8 | 3 |
Notes
[edit]- ^ In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Cuarón and the second or maternal family name is Orozco.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Say How: C". National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Archived from the original on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
- ^ "Oscars: Alfonso Cuaron's 'Roma' Wins Mexico Its First Foreign-Language Honor". The Hollywood Reporter. 24 February 2019. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
- ^ Valdes, Marcela (13 December 2018). "After 'Gravity,' Alfonso Cuarón Had His Pick of Directing Blockbusters. Instead, He Went Home to Make 'Roma.'". The New York Times Magazine. Archived from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- ^ D'Silva, Interviews: Beverley (18 October 2009). "Relative Values: Alfonso Cuaron and his brother Carlos". The Sunday Times. ISSN 0956-1382. Archived from the original on 23 December 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
- ^ EcoWatch (11 September 2015). "Alfonso and Alfredo Cuarón at 'Green Day Venice': Is Fiction Needed to Tell the Facts?". EcoWatch. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
- ^ a b "Roma: Repatriation vs. Exploitation". 7 June 2019. Archived from the original on 23 December 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
- ^ "The work of Alfonso Cuarón and Emmanuel Lubezki". moreliafilmfest.com. 5 February 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
- ^ Scott, A. O. (20 September 2006). "Sólo Con Tu Pareja - Review - Movies". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 23 December 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
- ^ "Fallen Angels: Murder, Obliquely (1993)". Mubi. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (10 May 1995). "Fairy Tale Doing a Child's Job: Reveling in Exuberant Play". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
- ^ "1996 Academy Awards". oscars.org. 5 October 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ "Great Expectations (1998)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ "Great Expectations review". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ Aguilar, Carlos (25 August 2021). "When 'Y Tu Mamá También' Changed Everything". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ "Y TU MAMÁ TAMBIÉN". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ Alvaray, Luisela. 2008. "National, Regional, and Global: New Waves of Latin American Cinema." Cinema Journal 47 (3): 48-65. https://doi.org/10.1353/cj.0.0002.
- ^ "Y Tu Mama Tambien". Rogerebert.com. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ "Why Prisoner of Azkaban Remains Harry Potter's Most Polarizing Adaptation". CBR. 28 July 2023. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ J.K. Rowling Archived 4 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 17 January 2007.
- ^ "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- ^ Child, Ben (17 March 2011). "Children vote Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban best film of decade". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ "77th Academy Awards". Oscars.org. 5 October 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ Interview Archived 2 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine by Sam Green with Cuarón.
- ^ Asansouthwestohio (23 September 2009). "Autistic Self Advocacy Network, SW Ohio: Autistic Community Condemns Autism Speaks". Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2009.
- ^ "Movie News: Movie Reviews, Trailers, Photos - EW.com". Archived from the original on 3 July 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
- ^ "Gravity". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 14 November 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
- ^ "Who Is Roma Director Alfonso Cuarón? You've Definitely Seen His Incredible Movies". Harper's Bazaar. 23 February 2019. Archived from the original on 25 February 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
- ^ "Academy Awards Search". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 23 July 2008. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
- ^ "The 100 Most Influential People – Pioneers: Alfonso Cuarón". Time. 23 April 2014. Archived from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
- ^ "Director Alfonso Cuarón President of the International Jury for the Venezia 72 Competition". Venice Biennale. 11 May 2015. Archived from the original on 27 June 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
- ^ Lodge, Guy (27 November 2018). "Roma: why Alfonso Cuaron's Oscar frontrunner is a triumph". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 23 December 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019 – via www.theguardian.com.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (8 September 2016). "Alfonso Cuaron Sets Mexican Family Drama as Next Film". Variety. Archived from the original on 28 October 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
- ^ "Netflix's 'Roma' wins three Oscars, including Best Director (but not Best Picture)". 25 February 2019. Archived from the original on 16 March 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
- ^ Pulver, Andrew (25 February 2019). "Alfonso Cuarón wins Oscar for best director for Roma". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 23 December 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019 – via www.theguardian.com.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (10 October 2019). "Alfonso Cuarón Sets TV Overall Deal at Apple". Variety. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
- ^ Goldberg, Lesley (1 December 2021). "Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline to Topline Alfonso Cuaron Apple Series 'Disclaimer'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
- ^ a b Dan P. Lee (22 September 2013). "The Camera's Cusp: Alfonso Cuarón Takes Filmmaking to a New Extreme With Gravity". New York. Archived from the original on 25 September 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2015 – via Vulture.com.
- ^ Udden, James. 2009. "Child of the Long Take: Alfonso Cuaron's Film Aesthetics in the Shadow of Globalization." Style (University Park,PA) 43 (1): 26-44.
- ^ Baer, Hester, and Ryan Long. "Transnational Cinema and the Mexican State in Alfonso Cuarón's 'Y Tu Mamá También." South Central Review 21, no. 3 (2004): 150-68.
- ^ Tierney, Dolores, "From Hollywood and Back: Alfonso Cuarón Adventures in Genre," in New Transnationalisms in Contemporary Latin America Cinemas (Edinburgh University Press, 2018), 76.
- ^ Saldaña-Portillo, Maria Josefina. "In the Shadow of NAFTA: Y Tu Mamá También Revisits the National Allegory of Mexican Sovereignty." American Quarterly 57, no. 3 (2005): 751-77.
- ^ Hind, Emily “"Provincia in Recent Mexican Cinema, 1989-2004," Discourse 26, no. 1 & 2 (2004): 26.
- ^ a b "Anuncia Cuarón separación matrimonial de su segunda esposa". La Crónica (in Spanish). Notimex. 23 June 2008. Archived from the original on 21 December 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
- ^ "The Universal Language | An Interview with Director Alfonso Cuarón". esperantodocumentary.com. Archived from the original on 21 February 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ^ "'People are being penalised': Hollywood divided over Israel-Hamas conflict". The Guardian. 2 December 2023.
- ^ "Vogue Arts – Down to Earth". Loquet London. 12 December 2013. Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ Baftas 2014: Alfonso Cuarón wins best director for Gravity | Film Archived 5 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine. theguardian.com. Retrieved on 2014-05-22.
External links
[edit]- Alfonso Cuarón at IMDb
- Alfonso Cuarón: A Life in Pictures, BAFTA webcast, 27 July 2007
- 1961 births
- Living people
- Best Cinematographer Academy Award winners
- Best Cinematography BAFTA Award winners
- Best Directing Academy Award winners
- Best Director AACTA International Award winners
- Best Director BAFTA Award winners
- Best Director Golden Globe winners
- Best Film Editing Academy Award winners
- Directors Guild of America Award winners
- Directors of Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award winners
- Directors of Golden Lion winners
- English-language film directors
- Fantasy film directors
- Filmmakers who won the Best Film BAFTA Award
- Filmmakers who won the Best Foreign Language Film BAFTA Award
- Film directors from Mexico City
- Hugo Award–winning writers
- Mexican cinematographers
- Mexican Esperantists
- Mexican expatriates in the United Kingdom
- Mexican film producers
- Mexican film directors
- Mexican people of Spanish descent
- Mexican screenwriters
- Mexican television directors
- Mexican television producers
- Mexican television writers
- National Autonomous University of Mexico alumni
- Nebula Award winners
- Science fiction film directors
- Spanish-language film directors
- Writers from Mexico City