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Fernando Trueba comes to Morelia

Araceli Calva translated by Cindy Hawes

The film takes place in Chile following the fall of the Pinochet dictatorship, when the president decrees an amnesty for all prisoners who have not committed violent crimes. Among them are Ángel Santiago and Vergara Grey, a seasoned safe-cracker. While Grey only wants to find his family, Ángel dreams of vengeance. But Victoria comes into the picture, and the lives of the three change drastically.

Born in Madrid, Spain, in 1955, Trueba has left his mark on cinema, working in a number of film genres, including classic comedy, period film and documentary.

He began his career as a film critic, contributing to the magazine La Guía del Ocio and the newspaper El País, and then founding his own film journal Casablanca. At the same time, he made short films like En legítima defensa and Oscar y Carlos 82.

In 1980, he directed his first feature Opera Prima, a hugely successful work that allowed him to found Opera Film, his first production company.

In 1982, he made his documentary Mientras el cuerpo aguante, which was not a success, but the following year he returned to fiction with his film Sal Gorda.

During that decade, Trueba embarked on other film projects, including Sé infiel y no mires con quién, El año de las luces,  and El sueño del mono loco (in English).

In 1992, Trueba shot his most acclaimed film Belle Époque, which brought him worldwide recognition and an Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 1994. “I would like to believe in God, but I only believe in Billy Wilder” were his well-remembered words upon receiving the award.

After this box office hit, he directed Two Much, starring Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith, which was another success.

At the end of the 90s, he directed La niña de tus ojos, a recreation of Nazi Germany, which received 7 Goya awards.

Trueba has collected numerous accolades and awards in Spain, but also internationally. Despite his many triumphs, Trueba does not seek fame nor commercial success -- he just wants to be happy with what he does, which is evident in every work, every scene, in every project.

His devotion to his work is revealed in his subsequent films, such as Calle 54, in which he gives free reign to another of his great passions: jazz. In this documentary, he brings together Latin jazz musicians like Michel Camilo, Jerry González and Gato Barbieri.

His most recent films include El embrujo de Shanghai”(2002), Blanco y Negro (2003), the documentary El milagro de Candeal (2004), El baile de la Victoria (2009), and Chico & Rita (2010).

The Morelia International Film Festival is pleased to present El baile de la victoria, selected by the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences to compete for an Oscar for Best Foreign Film, and above all, to have Trueba, film critic, screenwriter and emblematic contemporary Spanish film director, with us at the Festival.