Israel Cárdenas and Laura Amelia Guzmán at the IFFR 2023 to promote their movie Babygirl

Laura Amelia Guzmán (born May 7, 1980) and Israel Cárdenas (born February 15, 1980) are a husband and wife directorial team.

Early life

Guzmán was born in the Dominican Republic to parents who worked as art directors.[1] She initially worked as a cinematographer before turning to directing.

Cárdenas was born and raised in Mexico.

Filmmaking career

Since 2007, Laura Amelia Guzmán and Israel Cárdenas have run the production company Aurora Dominicana based in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. [2]

Guzmán and Cárdenas began their directing and producing career in 2007 with their movie Cochochi.

In 2010 they co-directed the movie Jean Gentil which caught the attention of actress Geraldine Chaplin. They produced the film with their company Aurora Dominicana. [3]

In 2013, they expanded to create a post-production studio also based in the Dominican Republic called Aurora Color Post. [4]

After hearing Chaplin's warm praise of their film they decided to offer her a role in their next film Sand Dollars, also produced by their company. After Chaplin agreed to appear in a small role the couple decided to rewrite the male main characters to be women in order to give Chaplin a larger role.[5] The film was chosen as the Dominican Republic's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2015 but did not make the shortlist.[6]

In 2016 Guzmán announced she was directing a sequel to Sand Dollars called Noeli Overseas.[7] The final film premiered in the Dominican Republic in 2018 and was credited to both Guzmán and Cárdenas.

Their film Holy Beasts premiered at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival.[8] The film starred Geraldine Chaplin and Udo Kier as fictional friends assembling to film the lost screenplay of real-life Dominican screenwriter Jean-Louis Jorge who was murdered in 2000.[9]

Filmography

References

  1. ↑ Molina, Mary Angelica. "The Director Of The DR's Oscar Entry Talks Writing Charlie Chaplin's Daughter Into Her Film". Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  2. ↑ Sittón, Winnie. "Good Dominican Films". Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  3. ↑ "Jean Gentil". Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  4. ↑ "Aurora Color". Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  5. ↑ "Interview: The Filmmakers of Dominican Republic's Oscar Entry 'Sand Dollars'". Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  6. ↑ Salazar, Francisco. "BEHIND THE SCENES: How 'Sand Dollars' Overcame Casting Challenges to Become Oscar Contender". Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  7. ↑ Levine, Sydney. "Screening in Cannes: Dominican Work-in-Progress Winner at IFF Panama 'Noeli Overseas'/ 'Noeli en los países'". Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  8. ↑ Young, Deborah (2019). "'Holy Beasts' ('La Fiera y la Fiesta'): Film Review | Berlin 2019". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  9. ↑ Hopewell, John; Lang, Jamie (10 February 2019). "Laura Amelia Guzman, Israel Cardenas Drill Down on 'Holy Beasts'". Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  10. ↑ "Aurora Dominicana". Retrieved 18 July 2021.
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