# Rodrigo Cortés

Rodrigo Cortés Giráldez (born 31 May 1973) is a Spanish film director, producer, screenwriter, editor, writer and occasional actor. He is best known for directing the 2010 psychological thriller Buried.

## Early life

Rodrigo Cortés was born in Pazos Hermos (Cenlle, province of Ourense) on 31 May 1973, but soon moved to Salamanca, where he spent most of his childhood and his early 20s.

## Career

Cortés' fondness for film making started at an early age. At 16 he had already directed his first short film in Super 8. In 1998 he directed the short Yul that won over 20 awards and in 2001 he released 15 Days, a fake documentary in the form of a large short film that earned over 57 awards at festivals, becoming the most awarded Spanish short film of the time.
In 2007 he directed The Contestant, his first feature film that was released with critical applause and earned several awards, including the Critic's prize at Málaga Film Festival. He directed and edited the 2010 thriller Buried, starring Ryan Reynolds. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and has received considerable acclaim.
In 2012 Cortés released Red Lights, a film about a physicist and a psychology professor who specialise in debunking supernatural phenomena, it stars Robert De Niro, Sigourney Weaver, Cillian Murphy and Elizabeth Olsen.
He reunited with Buried screenwriter Chris Sparling for his 2018 movie Down a Dark Hall, based on the novel of the same name by Lois Duncan and produced by Twilight writer Stephenie Meyer.

## Philosophy

In a 2012 interview, following the release of Red Lights, Cortés explained his perspective on independent filmmaking in an online interview:
   ... I don’t believe in indie or studio as labels. As an audience member, what I want is to hear strong voices and clear personalities and to feel challenged; not to feel reaffirmed on my own decisions or whatever... it’s never about where you shoot. It’s about what and about how. I mean that. This is not a pro-Hollywood or anti-Hollywood position. I learned to love cinema via the studio movies and of course Scorsese films, Spielberg films, and Hitchcock. All of them did studio pictures with very strong voices. It’s about finding this margin of expressing and exploring the things that touch your sensitive points.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Editor | Musical director | Notes |
| 2007 | The Contestant | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Also song writer: "Cyrus Honey Blues" and "Cajas" |
| 2010 | Buried | Yes | No | Executive | Yes | Yes | Also song writer: "In the Lap of the Mountain" |
| 2011 | Apartment 143 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also Music editor and second unit director |
| 2012 | Red Lights | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2013 | Grand Piano | No | No | Yes | Uncredited | No | Also second unit director |
| 2018 | Down a Dark Hall | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Also additional voices (credited as Gonzalo Giráldez) |
| 2021 | Love Gets a Room | Yes | Yes | Executive | Yes | Yes | Also song writer "Without You", "Little Bride" and "Little Bride-Stefcia Solo" |
| 2024 | Escape | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |

### Short films

| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Editor | Notes |
| 1998 | Yul | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2000 | 15 días | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also composer |
| 2000 | La Ley de Murphy | No | No | No | Yes | Also dialogue supervisor |
| 2001 | Dentro | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Segment of Diminutos del calvario Also composer and sound designer |
| 2002 | Los 150 metros de Callao | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also sound, sound designer and sound editor |
| 2003 | El Niño Millon | Yes | No | No | No | Documentary short film Co-directed with Abril Balderrama and Ricardo Díaz |
| 2003 | Interruptus | No | No | No | Yes | Also dialogue supervisor |
| 2007 | Dirt Devil | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also sound designer and sound editor |
| 2007 | Impavido | No | No | No | Yes | Aldo dialogue supervisor |
| 2010 | Alone | No | Original Idea | No | No | |
| 2013 | Por activa y por pasiva | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2014 | 1:58 | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Advertising short |
| 2022 | Tierra Nueva | Yes | No | No | No | Advertising short |
Acting roles
| Year | Title | Role |
| 1998 | Yul | Narrador (as "Gonzalo Giraldez") |
| 2000 | 15 días | Ruben Salas |
| 2000 | La Ley de Murphy | El Holandés (voice) |
| 2002 | Los 150 metros de Callao | Narrador #1 (voice) |
| 2003 | Interruptus | Hombre Calvo #1 |
| 2007 | Dirt Devil | Narrador |

### Television

| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Editor | Musical Director | Notes |
| 2021 | Stories to Stay Awake | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Wrote, directed, edited and produced music for episode "La Broma" Co-wrote and co-edited episode "El Asfalto" |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Work | Award | Category | Result |
| 2000 | 15 Days | Ourense Independent Film Festival | Canal+ Audience Award | Won |
| 2000 | 15 Days | Alcalá de Henares Short Film Fesrtival | Pixel Coop Award - Special Mention | Won |
| 2000 | 15 Days | Zaragoza Film Festival | Best Editing | Won |
| 2001 | 15 Days | Medina Film Festival | Youth Jury Award | Won |
| 2001 | 15 Days | Medina Film Festival | Best Editing | Won |
| 2001 | 15 Days | L'Alfàs del Pi Film Festival | Best Short Film | 3rd award |
| 2007 | The Contestant | Málaga Film Festival | Golden Biznaga for Best Spanish Film | Nominated |
| 2007 | The Contestant | Málaga Film Festival | Critic's Award | Won |
| 2008 | The Contestant | Goya Awards | Best Original Song for "Circus Honey Blues" | Nominated |
| 2008 | The Contestant | Mestre Mateo Awards | Best Director | Nominated |
| 2008 | The Contestant | Mestre Mateo Awards | Best Screenplay | Nominated |
| 2008 | The Contestant | Mestre Mateo Awards | Best Editing | Won |
| 2010 | Buried | Méliès International Festivals Federation | Méliès d'Or | Won |
| 2011 | Buried | Gaudí Awards | Best Director | Nominated |
| 2011 | Buried | Gaudí Awards | Best Editing | Won |
| 2011 | Buried | CEC Medals | Best Director | Nominated |
| 2011 | Buried | CEC Medals | Best Editing | Won |
| 2011 | Buried | Goya Awards | Best Director | Nominated |
| 2011 | Buried | Goya Awards | Best Editing | Won |
| 2011 | Buried | Goya Awards | Best Original Song for "In the lap of the mountain" | Nominated |
| 2013 | Red Lights | Gaudí Awards | Best Non-Catalan Language Film | Nominated |
| 2014 | Grand Piano | Feroz Awards | Best Drama | Nominated |
| 2014 | Grand Piano | Gaudí Awards | Best Non-Catalan Language Film | Nominated |
| 2015 | Grand Piano | Saturn Awards | Best Independent Film | Nominated |
| 2022 | Love Gets a Room | Feroz Awards | Best Director | Won |
| 2022 | Love Gets a Room | Feroz Awards | Best Screenplay | Nominated |
| 2022 | Love Gets a Room | CEC Medals | Best Director | Won |
| 2022 | Love Gets a Room | CEC Medals | Best Original Screenplay | Won |
| 2022 | Love Gets a Room | CEC Medals | Best Editing | Won |