# Pablo Berger

Pablo Berger Uranga (born 1963) is a Spanish film director and screenwriter. He is known for directing and writing the silent drama film Blancanieves (2012), the black comedy films Torremolinos 73 (2003) and Abracadabra (2017), and the animated tragicomedy film Robot Dreams (2023), the latter was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

## Life and work

Berger attended primary and secondary school in Artxanda Trueba, located on the outskirts of Bilbao, Spain. In 1988 he directed his first short film, Mamá (Mum), with artistic director Álex de la Iglesia and Ramon Barea. With the financial winnings from a grant from the Provincial Council of Biscay, he went to study for a master’s in film at New York University. There he directed his short film Truth and Beauty, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award.
After getting his Ph.D., Berger worked as a professor of management at the New York Film Academy. Thereafter, he began a parallel career as a publicist and producer of music, culminating in 2003 with his first film Torremolinos 73, with Javier Cámara, Fernando Tejero and Candela Peña. Torremolinos 73 received four Goya nominations and won Berger the Golden Biznaga at the Málaga Film Festival, as well as multiple national and international prizes. The movie became one of the box office successes of the year in Spain.
In 2012, Berger premiered his second film Blancanieves (Snow White), which was the Spanish representative at the 85th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. Blancanieves won ten Goya Awards, including Best Film and Best Original Screenplay. It also earned Berger the Special Jury Prize at the San Sebastián International Film Festival. It was also nominated for the César Award for Best Foreign Film, as well as two European Film Awards for Best Film and Best Director.
In 2017, Berger premiered Abracadabra, a comedy starring again Maribel Verdú. This was his second film produced by Arcadia Motion Pictures. It became a critical success and received 8 nominations at the 32nd Goya Awards.
Pablo Berger is a Knight of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France. In 2018, Berger was invited to become a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
In May 2023, Berger premiered Robot Dreams, his first animated film, at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. The film was based on the graphic novel by American author Sara Varon, and was produced by Arcadia Motion Pictures. The film was sold internationally by Elle Driver and screened at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, where it won the Contrechamp Grand Prix. It won the European Film Award for Best Animated Feature Film and the Annie Award for Best Independent Animated Feature, as well as two Goya Awards for Best Animated Film and Best Adapted Screenplay. In 2024, Berger was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for Robot Dreams, but lost to Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
| 1988 | Mamá | Yes | Yes | No | Short film |
| 2003 | Torremolinos 73 | Yes | Yes | Associate | Directorial debut |
| 2012 | Blancanieves | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2017 | Abracadabra | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2023 | Robot Dreams | Yes | Yes | Yes | |

## Awards and nominations

| Award | Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
| Academy Awards | 2024 | Best Animated Feature | Robot Dreams | Nominated | |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | 2023 | Best Animated Film | Robot Dreams | Nominated | |
| Annecy International Animation Film Festival | 2023 | Contrechamp Grand Prix | Robot Dreams | Won | |
| Annie Awards | 2024 | Best Animated Feature – Independent | Robot Dreams | Won | |
| Annie Awards | 2024 | Best Direction – Feature | Robot Dreams | Nominated | |
| Annie Awards | 2024 | Best Writing – Feature | Robot Dreams | Nominated | |
| Argentine Film Critics Association | 2015 | Best Ibero-American Film | Blancanieves | Nominated | |
| Ariel Award | 2013 | Best Ibero-American Film | Blancanieves | Nominated | |
| Boston Society of Film Critics | 2023 | Best Animated Film | Robot Dreams | Runner-up | |
| Carmen Awards | 2024 | Best Non-Andalusian Produced Film | Robot Dreams | Nominated | [10] [11] |
| CEC Awards | 2013 | Best Film | Blancanieves | Won | |
| CEC Awards | 2013 | Best Director | Blancanieves | Won | |
| CEC Awards | 2013 | Best Screenplay | Blancanieves | Won | |
| CEC Awards | 2018 | Best Original Screenplay | Abracadabra | Nominated | |
| CEC Awards | 2024 | Best Film | Robot Dreams | Nominated | [14] [15] |
| CEC Awards | 2024 | Best Director | Robot Dreams | Nominated | [14] [15] |
| CEC Awards | 2024 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Robot Dreams | Nominated | [14] [15] |
| CEC Awards | 2024 | Best Animated Film | Robot Dreams | Won | [14] [15] |
| César Awards | 2014 | Best Foreign Film | Blancanieves | Nominated | |
| Chicago Film Critics Association | 2023 | Best Animated Film | Robot Dreams | Nominated | |
| Cinekid Festival | 2023 | Cinekid Lion for Best Children’s Film | Robot Dreams | Nominated | [18] [19] |
| Coronado Island Film Festival | 2023 | Best Animated Feature | Robot Dreams | Won | |
| European Film Awards | 2013 | European Film | Blancanieves | Nominated | [21] [22] |
| European Film Awards | 2013 | European Director | Blancanieves | Nominated | [21] [22] |
| European Film Awards | 2023 | European Animated Feature Film | Robot Dreams | Won | |
| Feroz Awards | 2018 | Best Comedy Film | Abracadabra | Nominated | |
| Feroz Awards | 2024 | Best Comedy Film | Robot Dreams | Won | |
| Florida Film Critics Circle | 2023 | Best Animated Film | Robot Dreams | Nominated | |
| Forqué Awards | 2018 | Best Picture | Abracadabra | Nominated | |
| Forqué Awards | 2023 | Best Animation Film | Robot Dreams | Won | |
| Gaudí Awards | 2013 | Best Film | Blancanieves | Won | |
| Gaudí Awards | 2013 | Best Director | Blancanieves | Nominated | |
| Gaudí Awards | 2013 | Best Screenplay | Blancanieves | Nominated | |
| Gaudí Awards | 2024 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Robot Dreams | Nominated | |
| Gaudí Awards | 2024 | Best Animated Film | Robot Dreams | Won | |
| Georgia Film Critics Association | 2024 | Best Animated Film | Robot Dreams | Nominated | |
| Goya Awards | 2004 | Best Original Screenplay | Torremolinos 73 | Nominated | |
| Goya Awards | 2004 | Best New Director | Torremolinos 73 | Nominated | |
| Goya Awards | 2013 | Best Film | Blancanieves | Won | |
| Goya Awards | 2013 | Best Director | Blancanieves | Nominated | |
| Goya Awards | 2013 | Best Original Screenplay | Blancanieves | Won | |
| Goya Awards | 2013 | Best Original Song for “No te puedo encontrar” | Blancanieves | Won | |
| Goya Awards | 2018 | Best Original Screenplay | Abracadabra | Nominated | |
| Goya Awards | 2024 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Robot Dreams | Won | |
| Goya Awards | 2024 | Best Animated Film | Robot Dreams | Won | |
| Houston Film Critics Society | 2024 | Best Animated Feature | Robot Dreams | Nominated | |
| Indiana Film Journalists Association | 2023 | Best Film | Robot Dreams | Nominated | [37] [38] |
| Indiana Film Journalists Association | 2023 | Best Animated Film | Robot Dreams | Runner-up | [37] [38] |
| Indiana Film Journalists Association | 2023 | Original Vision | Robot Dreams | Nominated | [37] [38] |
| International Cinephile Society | 2024 | Best Animated Film | Robot Dreams | Runner-up | |
| London Film Critics' Circle | 2024 | Animated Film of the Year | Robot Dreams | Nominated | |
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association | 2023 | Best Animated Film | Robot Dreams | Runner-up | |
| Málaga Film Festival | 2003 | Golden Biznaga for Best Spanish Film | Torremolinos 73 | Won | |
| Málaga Film Festival | 2003 | Best Director | Torremolinos 73 | Won | |
| Nevada Film Critics Society | 2024 | Best Animated Feature | Robot Dreams | Won | |
| New York Latin ACE Awards | 2013 | Best Film | Blancanieves | Won | |
| Online Film Critics Society | 2024 | Best Animated Film | Robot Dreams | Nominated | |
| Palm Springs International Film Festival | 2004 | New Voices/New Visions Award | Torremolinos 73 | Won | |
| Palm Springs International Film Festival | 2013 | Cine Latino Award | Blancanieves | Won | |
| San Sebastián International Film Festival | 2012 | Special Jury Prize | Blancanieves | Won | |
| San Diego Film Critics Society | 2023 | Best Animated Film | Robot Dreams | Nominated | |
| San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle | 2024 | Best Animated Film | Robot Dreams | Nominated | |
| Sant Jordi Awards | 2013 | Best Spanish Film | Blancanieves | Won | |
| Satellite Awards | 2024 | Best Animated or Mixed Media Feature | Robot Dreams | Nominated | |
| Saturn Awards | 2014 | Best International Film | Blancanieves | Nominated | |
| Sitges Film Festival | 2023 | Best Film | Robot Dreams | Nominated | |
| Sitges Film Festival | 2023 | Grand People's Choice Award for Best Feature Film in the SOFC | Robot Dreams | Won | |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | 2023 | Best Animated Film | Robot Dreams | Nominated | |
| Toronto Film Critics Association | 2023 | Best Animated Film | Robot Dreams | Won | |
| Vancouver Film Critics Circle | 2014 | Best Foreign Language Film | Blancanieves | Nominated | |