Claim: Before Night Falls is an autobiographical film.

Before Night Falls is a 2000 American biographical romantic drama directed by Julian Schnabel . Based on the autobiography of the same name of Reinaldo Arenas , which was published in English in 1993 , the screenplay was written by Schnabel , Cunningham O'Keefe and Lázaro Gómez Carriles . The film stars Javier Bardem -LRB- who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor -RRB- , Johnny Depp , Olivier Martinez , Andrea Di Stefano , Santiago Magill and Michael Wincott . The film had its world premiere at the 2000 Venice International Film Festival .