Franco de Peña
Encyclopedia
Franco de Peña is a Polish
-Venezuela
n film director
.
, Venezuela, in 1981 de Peña began studying economics
at the Caracas Universidad Central University, but after two years left Venezuela for Montreal
, where he settled. He has been an Invited Artist of the Cannes Film Festival Residence in Paris and the Berlin Kunstler Programme and Nipkow Program in Berlin
. De Peña has lived in London, Barcelona before relocating to Poland
in 1987. De Peña passed his entrance exams to the Łódź Film School, but had to put his plans on hold. He moved to Warsaw
and studied at the Warsaw National Academy of Theatre for two years. He was finally admitted to the Łódź school and graduated in 1997.
Franco De Peña has participated in two MASTER CLASSES organised by the European Film Academy: A Master Class by Mike Newell CREATING A WORLD FOR A STORY and a MASTER CLASS BY ALAIN DEROBE with the participation of Florian Maier and Win Wenders STEREOSCOPIC STORY TELLING, CRATING AND SHOOTING STORIES IN 3-D
in the para-documentary Letter from Argentina by Grzegorz Pacek and in the German Film "My Sweet Home" by Filippos Tsissos.
In addition, he was the author of pictures in the Brazilian documentary Bem-Vindo a São Paulo on Caetano Veloso
.
, Poznan
, and Mons
.
In 2006, his film YOUR NAME IS JUSTINE was the Luxembourg submission for the 79th Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. http://www.screendaily.com/2-october-2006/119.issue
Unfortunately the film was refused by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences because he was a Venezuelan National.
However he was given the PRICE BEST LUXEMBOURG FILM in 2007 Meilleur film de fiction luxembourgeois (Filmpräis 2007) http://www.cna.public.lu/actualites/2008/12/fmil_justine/index.html
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
-Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
.
Early years and education
Born and raised in CaracasCaracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
, Venezuela, in 1981 de Peña began studying economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
at the Caracas Universidad Central University, but after two years left Venezuela for Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, where he settled. He has been an Invited Artist of the Cannes Film Festival Residence in Paris and the Berlin Kunstler Programme and Nipkow Program in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. De Peña has lived in London, Barcelona before relocating to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in 1987. De Peña passed his entrance exams to the Łódź Film School, but had to put his plans on hold. He moved to Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
and studied at the Warsaw National Academy of Theatre for two years. He was finally admitted to the Łódź school and graduated in 1997.
Franco De Peña has participated in two MASTER CLASSES organised by the European Film Academy: A Master Class by Mike Newell CREATING A WORLD FOR A STORY and a MASTER CLASS BY ALAIN DEROBE with the participation of Florian Maier and Win Wenders STEREOSCOPIC STORY TELLING, CRATING AND SHOOTING STORIES IN 3-D
Other activities
Apart from his film career, Franco de Peña also played the role of a journalist seeking the alleged unknown Argentinian son of Witold GombrowiczWitold Gombrowicz
Witold Marian Gombrowicz was a Polish novelist and dramatist. His works are characterized by deep psychological analysis, a certain sense of paradox and an absurd, anti-nationalist flavor...
in the para-documentary Letter from Argentina by Grzegorz Pacek and in the German Film "My Sweet Home" by Filippos Tsissos.
In addition, he was the author of pictures in the Brazilian documentary Bem-Vindo a São Paulo on Caetano Veloso
Caetano Veloso
Caetano Emanuel Viana Teles Veloso , better known as Caetano Veloso, is a Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist, writer, and political activist. Veloso first became known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicalismo which encompassed theatre, poetry and music in the 1960s,...
.
Awards
De Peña has been the recipient of several awards for his films including the Best New Director award at the fifth annual Las Palmas International Film Festival in 2005. His film "Your Name is Justine" was recognized with several festival awards, Your name is Justine received 11 International Awards including those of MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Poznan
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
, and Mons
Mons
Mons is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, of which it is the capital. The Mons municipality includes the old communes of Cuesmes, Flénu, Ghlin, Hyon, Nimy, Obourg, Baudour , Jemappes, Ciply, Harmignies, Harveng, Havré, Maisières, Mesvin, Nouvelles,...
.
In 2006, his film YOUR NAME IS JUSTINE was the Luxembourg submission for the 79th Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. http://www.screendaily.com/2-october-2006/119.issue
Unfortunately the film was refused by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences because he was a Venezuelan National.
However he was given the PRICE BEST LUXEMBOURG FILM in 2007 Meilleur film de fiction luxembourgeois (Filmpräis 2007) http://www.cna.public.lu/actualites/2008/12/fmil_justine/index.html
Filmography
- Może to grzech, że się modlę (Maybe it's sinful to pray, 1993) - a document on a 33 year old prisoner suffering from AIDS
- Szepty wiatru (The Whispers of the Wind, 1995), on a friendship of an old Andean man with his donkey
- El Porvenir de una Ilusión (The Future of an Illusion; 1997) - a poetic description of dreams of modern inhabitants of HavanaHavanaHavana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
- Amor en concreto (Love in Concrete, 2003) - a sketch of lives of several inhabitants of a modern city
- Masz na imię Justine (Your Name is Justine), 2005, about Mariola, a young polish woman who elopes with her boyfriend to Germany and finds herself enjailed and forced into prostitution.
- Hugo King about the totalitarian mechanism of by Hugo Chavez used to stay in power.