# Víctor Gaviria

Víctor Manuel Gaviria González (born January 19, 1955, in Liborina, Antioquia, Colombia) is a Colombian film director, writer, and poet. His four feature-length films are acclaimed and have won many international awards. He is the first Colombian filmmaker to be featured at the Cannes Film Festival. He is often recognized as Colombia's most influential and well-known filmmaker.

## Early life

He was born in the town of Liborina and raised in Medellin, Colombia, the sixth of 8 siblings. He grew up during the beginning of the Colombian conflict; an ongoing civil war between the Colombian government and extremist groups and drug cartels, which led to immense violence and unrest throughout Medellin. He attended the University of Antioquia and earned a degree in psychology. Gaviria took interest in poetry, writing seven poetry books that won several awards.
He studied psychology at Antioquia University, but quit to pursue his film-making career. He joined several art collectives and met Catholic priest Luis Alberto Álvarez, who became a close friend and an important figure in his development.

## Career

He is known for his raw style in portraying social issues and exclusion. His method has influenced Colombian and Latin American cinema; presenting actors with no acting background, but who are natural storytellers and are actively involved in the development of the film.

## Films

| Title | Year | Runtime |
| Buscando treboles | 1980 | 8 min |
| Sueños sobre un mantel vacío | 1980 | 9 min |
| La Lupa del Fin del Mundo | 1981 | 20 min |
| El vagón rojo | 1981 | 15 min |
| Los habitantes de la noche | 1984 | 20 min |
| La vieja guardia | 1984 | 25 min |
| Que pase el aserrador | 1985 | 50 min |
| Los músicos 1986 | 1986 | 32 min |
| ¿Quién escucha a Vieco? | 1986 | 30 min |
| Los cuentos de Campo Valdés | 1987 | 30 min |
| Urabá hoy: la recreación en Urabá | 1988 | 48 min |
| Dario Lemos: Un retrato | 1989 | 30 min |
| David y Roberto: Los polizones de Nueva Colonia | 1989 | 27 min |
| Urabá hoy: Vereda La Balsa | 1989 | 25 min |
| Lo que dañaba a mi hermano era la edad: La historia de Víctor Manuel Zúñiga | 1989 | 31 min |
| Mamá Margarita | 1990 | 30 min |
| El obispo llega el 15 | 1990 | 27 min |
| Yo te tumbo tu me tumbas | 1990 | 60 min |
| Rodrigo D. No futuro | 1990 | 90 min |
| El Paseo | 1992 | 30 min |
| Los derechos del niño | 1992 | 30 min |
| Mirar al muerto, por favor | 1992 | 30 min |
| Simón el mago | 1994 | 85 min |
| Muchachos a lo bien | 1995 | 28 min |
| La mita - una vieja inolvidable | 1995 | 22 min |
| La vendedora de rosas | 1998 | 115 min |
| Poner a actuar pájaros | 1998 | 90 min |
| Sumas y restas | 2004 | 105 min |
| El gol que costó un muerto | 2004 | 30 min |
| La marcha continúa | 2013 | 78 min |
| La mujer del animal | 2017 | 90 min |

### Awards

* Rodrigo D: No Future, 1990 (official selection at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival)
* La vendedora de rosas, 1998 (official selection at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival)
* Sumas y restas, 2004
* The Animal's Wife, 2016

## Books

| Title | Year | Publisher |
| En la ciudad, alguien también perplejo | 1978 | Cúcuta: Instituto de Cultura y Bellas Artes |
| Con los que viajo sueño | 1980 | Universidad Externado de Colombia |
| La luna y la ducha fría | 1980 | Universidad de Antioquia |
| El campo al fin de cuentas no es tan verde | 1982 | Ediciones Acuarimántima: Ediciones Hombre Nuevo |
| El Pulso del cartógrafo | 1986 | Ediciones Autores Antioqueños |
| El pelaíto que no duró nada | 1990/2020 | Planeta / Seix Barral |
| El rey de los espantos | 1993 | Centro Editorial Universidad del Valle |
| El tío Miguel | 1998 | Norma |
| Los días del Olvidadizo | 1998 | Norma |
| La mañana del tiempo | 2003 | Hombre Nuevo Editores |
| Detrás de Cámara | 2018 | Pigmaleón |