Creative Couples: Arturo Ripstein-Paz Alicia Garciadiego

This cycle pays tribute to the cinematographic work developed by director Arturo Ripstein and screenwriter Paz Alicia Garciadiego, who have been working together since their debut with El imperio de la fortuna, in 1986. Both have received the 28th FCM-PNR (Madrid Film Festival-Plataforma de Nuevos Realizadores) International Mirada Award. Screenwriter Paz Alicia Garciadiego was born on September 4, 1949 in Mexico City. She grew up in Colonia Juárez in Mexico City and since she was a child she was attracted to stories of all kinds, especially Mexican literature from the time of the revolution, thanks to her mother and grandmother. She also loved cinematic stories and frequently visited the El Parisiana cinema where she saw some of the most relevant films of her time. She studied Spanish literature and Latin American studies at the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters of the UNAM. Paz married Arturo Ripstein, with whom she worked hand in hand on several projects. In 1986 she wrote her first film script for the feature film El imperio de la fortuna (1985), with which she would begin a highly distinguished career. He won the Golden Lion for Best Screenplay for Profundo carmesí (1996) at the Venice Film Festival and the Best Unpublished Screenplay Award for El coronel no tiene quien le escriba (1999) at the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema in Havana, Cuba. His most recent work is the screenplay for the film La calle de la amargura (2015) directed by Ripstein. Director Arturo Ripstein was born on December 13, 1943 in Mexico City to a Jewish family. He is Mexican by birth, naturalized Spanish since June 2003. Son of producer Alfredo Ripstein Jr., he was in contact with the world of cinema from an early age. At the age of fifteen he discovered Luis Buñuel during the filming of Nazarin (1958), with whom he developed a close teacher-pupil relationship. In 1997 he became the second filmmaker to win the National Prize of Sciences and Arts in the area of Fine Arts; the first was Luis Buñuel. Buñuel let Ripstein participate, without credit, as production assistant during the filming of El ángel exterminador (1962). At the age of 21 he made his directorial debut in the film Tiempo de morir (1965); his father had acquired the rights to the script, written by Carlos Fuentes and Gabriel García Márquez, and entrusted him with the direction of the project. He made numerous films such as Los recuerdos del porvenir (1968), El castillo de la pureza (1972), El lugar sin límites (1977), Cadena perpetua (1978), Principio y fin (1993), La reina de la noche (1994), Profundo carmesí (1996), El evangelio de las maravillas (1998) and El coronel no tiene quien le escriba (1999). In 1985 he met the writer Paz Alicia Garciadiego, who became his most effective partner and later his wife. His name reached international fame; he was awarded several prizes, and countries such as Spain and France paid tribute to him through exhibitions and shows. He is considered one of the greatest Mexican filmmakers of all time.