Cuaron, Alfonso

Father - Alfredo Cuaron, a specialist in nuclear physics, who worked at the IAEA for a long time. Brothers Carlos (born 1966) and Alfredo. Alfonso Cuaron studied philosophy and cinematographic art at the National Autonomous University of Mexico . After graduating, he worked on Mexican television, first as a technician, and then as a director. His television work led him to become an assistant director in several Latin American films (such as Gaby: A True Story and Romero), and in 1991 he made his debut on the big screen.

“Sólo con tu pareja” (literally “Only with your partner”, the name of the rolling English version is “ Love during hysteria ”) is a black comedy about a businessman who thinks he is sick with HIV. The film was a huge hit in Mexico and was enthusiastically received around the world. Director Sidney Pollack was so impressed with the film that in 1993 he invited the young director to shoot an episode in Showtime's production of Fallen Angels ; in addition to him, such directors as Steven Soderbergh , Jonathan Kaplan , Peter Bogdanovich and Tom Hanks worked on the series.

In 1995, Cuaron finished his first feature film released in the US - “The Little Princess” - an adapted version of the classic novel by Francis Burnett . The next film again was a film adaptation - a modern version of "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens with Ethan Hawke , Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert De Niro in the lead roles.

The next project, which made the director return to Mexico, was the film " And Your Mom, too " with Maribel Verdu , Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna . This is a provocative road comedy about two teenagers traveling with an attractive married woman. A frank image of sexuality and rather crude humor, along with politically and socially sharp statements, made the film an international hit and a favorite of critics. Cuaron shared the Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay with his co-author and brother Carlos Cuaron .

In 2003, Alfonso Cuaron made the third film in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban . Cuaron came across criticism from some Potter fans who did not share his view of how the film should be. Unlike Chris Columbus, who shot the first two parts as close as possible to the book, Cuaron allowed himself a more aggressive adaptation - with a gloomy atmosphere, changes in the clothes of the heroes, several lost storylines, etc., which was a shock for many fans. Meanwhile, the author of the books, J.K. Rowling , stated that this is her favorite film adaptation. As a result, the film was adopted better than the previous ones, and some critics noted that this is the first film that truly conveys the essence of the novel.

Cuaron's next project, the film " Child of Man, " is an adaptation of the novel by F. D. James with Clive Owen , Julianne Moore, and Michael Kane in the lead roles, which has received wide acclaim from critics and three Oscar nominations. Cuaron himself received nominations for best editing and best adapted script.

The film "Roma" received the prize for the best film of the Venice Festival - "Golden Lion" ^[4] .

He created the film company Esperanto Filmoj, which participated in the release of such popular films as, for example, The Labyrinth of the Fauna .

Jury Member of the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.

Personal life

A vegetarian ^{[5] [6]} , since 2000 lives in London ^[7] .

The first wife is Mariana Elisondo. Son Jonas Cuaron (born 1981) followed in the footsteps of his father, becoming a film director - in 2015 he shot the thriller Desert. Jonas is also co-author of the script for his father’s film “Gravity” ^[8] .

The second wife (2001-2008) is the Italian actress and journalist Annalisa Bugliani, from whom Alfonso has two children - Tess Bou Cuaron (b. 2002) and Olmo Teodoro Cuaron (b. 2005) ^[8] .

• Alfonso Cuarón: A Life in Pictures , BAFTA webcast, July 27, 2007