# Adolfo Aristarain

Adolfo Aristarain (born October 19, 1943) is an Argentine film director and screenwriter who is famous for his filmic sophistication and subtle examination of issues of political oppression. Variety has deemed him "a master filmmaker."

## Biography

Aristarain was born in Buenos Aires. After leaving Argentina, he started working as assistant director in the Arcente cinema, and then in Europe during his short exile for Mario Camus, Giorgio Stegani and Lewis Gilbert before returning to Argentina in 1974, following the death of Argentine president Juan Perón. His first 3 films did not receive favorable reviews, but in 1981 Tiempo de revancha received both critical acclaim and public success. Released in the midst of the so-called Guerra Sucia ("Dirty War") when Argentina was ruled by a military dictatorship, the film had strong political undercurrents but faced few problems from censors. As Aristarain would later explain, he initially included long, unnecessary sex scenes in the film, "so the censors took five days and questioned things—not politics or ideology but sex. All I had to do was cut a few frames at the end of some scenes, like one of a strip tease. It doesn't hurt the scenes—especially if you made them longer than they should have been."
Back in Spain he directed a mini-series for television, and after a series of aborted projects he had renewed success in Argentina: Un Lugar en el Mundo, starring Federico Luppi, with whom he has maintained frequent collaboration. He then filmed La Ley de la frontera and Martín (hache) in Spain, also starring Luppi. Aristarain continued with his Argentine-Spanish mixture of actors in Lugares comunes and Roma.
Aristarain wrote all the scripts of his directed movies with the exception of the Columbia Pictures release The Stranger, which was written by American screenwriter Dan Gurskis.
He has received numerous awards for his work, including Golden Seashell and an Academy Award nomination for Un Lugar en el mundo, Best Director award at the Havana Film Festival, and Golden Seashell nomination for Martín (Hache), the First Prize at the Havana Film Festival and the Grand Prix des Amériques award at the Montréal World Film Festival for Tiempo de revancha.
The Academy Award Nomination was disqualified by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences because the film was submitted for consideration (for Best Foreign Movie) by Uruguay (his wife's country) while The Academy claimed it was an Argentine production, and should therefore have been submitted by that country.
Aristarain has worked many times with several, notable actors, such as Federico Luppi (7 times), Julio de Grazia (4 times), Cecilia Roth (3 times), Ricardo Darín (3 times) and Ulises Dumont (2 times). He has held Spanish Citizenship since 2003.

## Filmography

* La parte del león (1978)
* La playa del amor (1979)
* La discoteca del amor (1980)
* Tiempo de revancha (1981)
* Últimos días de la víctima (1982)
* The Stranger (1987)
* Un lugar en el mundo (1991)
* La Ley de la frontera (1995)
* Martín (hache) (1997)
* Lugares comunes (2002)
* Roma (2004)

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result |
| 1982 | Argentine Film Critics Association Awards | Best Screenplay | Tiempo de revancha | Won |
| 1982 | Argentine Film Critics Association Awards | Best Director | Tiempo de revancha | Won |
| 1982 | Chicago International Film Festival | Best Feature | Tiempo de revancha | Nominated |
| 1982 | Havana Film Festival | Grand Coral - First Prize | Tiempo de revancha | Won |
| 1982 | Montréal World Film Festival | Grand Prix Award | Tiempo de revancha | Won |
| 1982 | Huelva Latin American Film Festival | Golden Colon | Últimos días de la víctima | Won |
| 1982 | Mystfest | Best Film | Últimos días de la víctima | Nominated |
| 1982 | Mystfest | Best Screenplay | Últimos días de la víctima | Won |
| 1983 | Argentine Film Critics Association Awards | Best Screenplay | Últimos días de la víctima | Won |
| 1983 | Argentine Film Critics Association Awards | Best Director | Últimos días de la víctima | Won |
| 1984 | Cognac Festival du Film Policier | Critics Award | Tiempo de revancha | Won |
| 1992 | Nantes Three Continents Festival | Audience Award | A Place in the World | Won |
| 1992 | San Sebastián International Film Festival | Golden Seashell | A Place in the World | Won |
| 1992 | San Sebastián International Film Festival | OCIC Award | A Place in the World | Won |
| 1993 | Argentine Film Critics Association Awards | Best Screenplay | A Place in the World | Nominated |
| 1993 | Argentine Film Critics Association Awards | Best Director | A Place in the World | Won |
| 1993 | Fribourg International Film Festival | Audience Award | A Place in the World | Won |
| 1993 | Goya Awards | Best Spanish Film | A Place in the World | Won |
| 1993 | Gramado Film Festival | Best Latin Film | A Place in the World | Won |
| 1993 | Ondas Awards | Best Director | A Place in the World | Won |
| 1993 | Turia Awards | Best Foreign Film | A Place in the World | Won |
| 1996 | Argentine Film Critics Association Awards | Best Screenplay | La ley de la frontera | Nominated |
| 1996 | Argentine Film Critics Association Awards | Best Director | La ley de la frontera | Nominated |
| 1997 | Havana Film Festival | Audience Award | Martin (Hache) | Nominated |
| 1997 | Havana Film Festival | Grand Coral - First Prize | Martin (Hache) | Won |
| 1997 | Havana Film Festival | Best Director | Martin (Hache) | Won |
| 1997 | San Sebastián International Film Festival | Golden Seashell | Martin (Hache) | Nominated |
| 1998 | Argentine Film Critics Association Awards | Best Director | Martin (Hache) | Won |
| 1998 | Argentine Film Critics Association Awards | Best Screenplay | Martin (Hache) | Nominated |
| 1998 | Butaca Awards | Best Art House Film | Martin (Hache) | Nominated |
| 1998 | Fribourg International Film Festival | Award of the Pestalozzi Foundation | Martin (Hache) | Won |
| 1998 | Goya Awards | Best Director | Martin (Hache) | Nominated |
| 1998 | Oslo Films from the South Festival | Audience Award | Martin (Hache) | Won |
| 1998 | Valdivia International Film Festival | Audience Award | Martin (Hache) | Won |
| 2002 | Huelva Latin American Film Festival | Prize of the City of Huelva | | Won |
| 2002 | Havana Film Festival | Vigia Award | Common Ground | Won |
| 2002 | Havana Film Festival | OCIC Award | Common Ground | Won |
| 2002 | Havana Film Festival | Glauber Rocha Award | Common Ground | Won |
| 2002 | San Sebastián International Film Festival | Golden Seashell | Common Ground | Nominated |
| 2002 | San Sebastián International Film Festival | Best Screenplay | Common Ground | Won |
| 2003 | Argentine Film Critics Association Awards | Best Director | Common Ground | Nominated |
| 2003 | Argentine Film Critics Association Awards | Best Screenplay | Common Ground | Nominated |
| 2003 | Cinema Writers Circle Awards | Best Screenplay | Common Ground | Nominated |
| 2003 | Fribourg International Film Festival | Grand Prix Award | Common Ground | Nominated |
| 2003 | Fribourg International Film Festival | Audience Award | Common Ground | Won |
| 2003 | Goya Awards | Best Screenplay | Common Ground | Won |
| 2003 | Gramado Film Festival | Best Film | Common Ground | Nominated |
| 2004 | Cartagena Film Festival | Best Film | Common Ground | Nominated |
| 2004 | Havana Film Festival | Best Screenplay | Roma | Won |
| 2004 | Havana Film Festival | Audience Award | Roma | Won |
| 2004 | San Sebastián International Film Festival | Golden Seashell | Roma | Nominated |
| 2005 | Argentine Film Critics Association Awards | Best Director | Roma | Won |
| 2005 | Argentine Film Critics Association Awards | Best Screenplay | Roma | Nominated |
| 2005 | Goya Awards | Best Director | Roma | Nominated |
| 2005 | Goya Awards | Best Screenplay | Roma | Nominated |
| 2005 | Toulouse Cinespaña | Best Screenplay | Roma | Won |
| 2005 | Toulouse Cinespaña | Violette d"or | Roma | Won |