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Alejandro Amenábar Biography

Birth Name:Alejandro Fernando Amenábar Cantos

Birth Place:Santiago de Chile, Chile

Profession Writer, Composer, Director, Producer, Actor, Music department, Editor

Fast Facts

Quote: "In Hollywood you always feel a bit like a hake․ The publicists march people up and down in front of you and they interview you․․․․ You feel like the turbot and the sea bream go by, and you're the hake․"
A self-taught composer, he often scores all of his feature films
He would go on to pen most of the scripts on many of his own titles after years of struggling with a college professor who refused to pass him in Film Writing
While studying cinematography in Spain, he would begin his filmmaking career with several short films in the early '90s
Steven Spielberg sent him a letter of congratulations after his film "The Sea Inside" was released in 2004
Worked as a gardener and stock boy in order to purchase his first handheld camera

Awards

1996Golden Kikito-Latin Competition: Best Film (Competição Latino: Melhor Filme): nominated
1996Best Film-: nominated
1996Film Award-Best Director (Mejor Director): winner
1997Grand Prize of European Fantasy Film in Silver-: winner
1997CEC Award-Best New Artist (Premio Revelación): winner
1997Grand Prize of European Fantasy Film in Gold-: nominated
1997Goya-Best New Director (Mejor Director Novel): winner
1997Goya-Best Original Screenplay (Mejor Guión Original): winner
1997Best of Puchon-: nominated
1997Rosa de Sant Jordi Audience Award-Best Spanish Film (Mejor Película Española): winner
1997Audience Award-: winner
1998C.I.C.A.E. Award - Honorable Mention-Panorama: winner
1998Butaca-Best Art House Film (Millor película d'autor): nominated
1998Tokyo Grand Prix-: winner
1998Student Jury Award - Special Mention-: winner
1999Goya-Best Original Screenplay (Mejor Guión Original): nominated
1999Goya-Best Director (Mejor Director): nominated
1999Canal22 Best Ibero-American Film Award-: winner
2000Chainsaw Award-Best Screenplay: nominated
2000Goya-Best Original Score (Mejor Música Original): nominated
2001Bram Stoker Award-Screenplay: nominated
2001Fright Meter Award-Best Director: winner
2001FIPRESCI Prize-: winner
2001Grand Prix-: nominated
2001GoldSpirit Awards-Best Horror Soundtrack: nominated
2001Golden Schmoes-Best Screenplay of the Year: nominated
2001Golden Lion-: nominated
2002ALMA Award-Outstanding Director in a Motion Picture: nominated
2002ALMA Award-Outstanding Screenplay (Original or Adapted): nominated
2002ASCAP Award-Top Box Office Films: winner
2002ASECAN Award-Best Spanish Film: winner
2002Saturn Award-Best Director: nominated
2002Saturn Award-Best Writing: nominated
2002BAFTA Film Award-Best Screenplay - Original: nominated
2002CEC Award-Best Director (Mejor Director): winner
2002CEC Award-Best Original Score (Mejor Música Original): nominated
2002CEC Award-Best Screenplay, Original (Mejor Guión Original): winner
2002Independent Spirit Award-: winner
2002Goya-Best Original Score (Mejor Música Original): nominated
2002Goya-Best Original Screenplay (Mejor Guión Original): winner
2002Goya-Best Director (Mejor Director): winner
2002OFTA Film Award-Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen: nominated
2002OFCS Award-Best Original Screenplay: winner
2002PFCS Award-Best Screenplay - Original: nominated
2002Rosa de Sant Jordi Audience Award-Best Spanish Film (Mejor Película Española): winner
2002Golden Satellite Award-Best Screenplay, Original: nominated
2004Audience Award-: winner
2004European Film Award-European Director: winner
2004European Film Award-European Film: nominated
2004European Film Award-European Screenwriter: nominated
2004Hollywood European Award-: winner
2004Cinemania Award-: winner
2004Golden Lion-: nominated
2004Young Cinema Award-Best International Film: winner
2004Grand Special Jury Prize-: winner
2005Golden Kinnaree Award-Best Film: winner
2005CEC Award-Best Editing (Mejor Montaje): nominated
2005CEC Award-Best Score (Mejor Música): nominated
2005CEC Award-Best Screenplay, Original (Mejor Guión Original): nominated
2005CEC Award-Best Director (Mejor Director): nominated
2005David-Best European Film (Miglior Film dell'Unione Europea): winner
2005Audience Award-Best Foreign Film (Miglior Film Straniero): winner
2005Youth Award-: winner
2005FCCA Award-Best Foreign Language Film: winner
2005Independent Spirit Award-Best Foreign Film: winner
2005Fotogramas de Plata-Best Spanish Film (Mejor Película Española): winner
2005Goya-Best Original Score (Mejor Música Original): winner
2005Goya-Best Director (Mejor Director): winner
2005Goya-Best Original Screenplay (Mejor Guión Original): winner
2005Guild Film Award - Gold-Foreign Film (Ausländischer Film): winner
2005Audience Award-: winner
2005Audience Award-Best Narrative Feature: winner
2005Premio ACE-Cinema - Best Director: nominated
2005Rosa de Sant Jordi Audience Award-Best Spanish Film (Mejor Película Española): winner
2005Sant Jordi-Best Film (Mejor Película Española): winner
2005Audience Award 'Silver Sea-Gull'-: winner
2005Audience Award-: winner
2005Music Award-Best Score (Mejor Álbum de Banda Sonora de Obra Cinematográfica): winner
2005Audience Award-Best Spanish Film: winner
2005World Soundtrack Award-Best Original Soundtrack of the Year: nominated
2005Yoga Award-Worst Spanish Score: winner
2006Silver Condor-Best Foreign Film, Spanish Language (Mejor Película Iberoamericana): winner
2006Silver Ariel-Best Latin-American Film (Mejor Película Iberoamericana): nominated
2006César-Best Foreign Film (Meilleur film étranger): nominated
2009Feature Film Prize in Science and Technology-: winner
2010ASECAN Award-Best Spanish Film: nominated
2010CinEuphoria-Top Films of the Decade - International Competition: winner
2010CinEuphoria-Top Ten of the Year - International Competition: winner
2010CEC Award-Best Director (Mejor Director): nominated
2010EFA People's Choice Award-: nominated
2010Goya-Best Film (Mejor Película): nominated
2010Goya-Best Original Screenplay (Mejor Guión Original): winner
2010Goya-Best Director (Mejor Director): nominated
2016Yoga Award-Worst Spanish Director: winner
2019Carmel Award-Best International Film: winner
2019Golden Seashell-Best Film: nominated
2020CEC Award-Best Director (Mejor Director): nominated
2020CEC Award-Best Original Screenplay (Mejor Guión Original): nominated
2020CEC Award-Best Film (Mejor Película): nominated
2020Días de Cine Award-Best Spanish Film: nominated
2020Feroz Award-Best Original Score: nominated
2020Fotogramas de Plata-Audience Award - Best Spanish Film: winner
2020Goya-Best Original Screenplay (Mejor Guión Original): nominated
2020Goya-Best Original Score (Mejor Música Original): nominated
2020Goya-Best Director (Mejor Director): nominated
2020José María Forqué Award-25th Anniversary: nominated
2020Knight Marimbas Award-: nominated
2020Platino Award-Best Director: nominated
2020Platino Award-Best Screenplay: nominated
2020Platino Award-Best Original Music: nominated
2022Feroz Award-Best Drama Series: nominated
2022Platino Award-Best Creator of a Miniseries or TV-Series: nominated
2026CEC Award-Best Score (Mejor Música): nominated
2026Feroz Award-Best Original Score: nominated