Gregory Nava

Infobox_Celebrity
name = Gregory Nava


caption = Nava on PBS
birth_date = birth date and age|1949|4|10,
birth_place = San Diego, California,
United States.
death_date =
death_place =
occupation = Film Director, Producer,
and Writer.
salary =
networth =
spouse = Anna Thomas,
1975-today.
website =
footnotes =
children = Christopher and Tedy.

Gregory Nava (born April 10, 1949 in San Diego, California) is a film director, producer and screenplay writer, of Mexican and Basque heritage.

Nava met his future wife Anna Thomas while working on his master's degree at UCLA. They were married in 1975 and would collaborate on many projects.

They have two sons: Christopher (born 1984) and Tedy (born 1985). [ [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0622695/ Gregory Nava] at the Internet Movie Database.]

Biography

Education

Nava attended film school at UCLA where he earned an MFA in 1976. At UCLA he directed the short film "The Journal of Diego Rodriguez Silva" (based on the life of García Lorca), and for this work, won the Best Dramatic Film Award at the National Student Film Festival.

Nava's first feature film, "The Confessions of Amans," won the Best First Feature Award at the Chicago International Film Festival in 1976.

Career

Later, he came to the attention of Hollywood producers due to the success of "El Norte," which garnered Nava and his wife Anna Thomas an Academy Award nomination, among other accolades, for the screenplay. In 1995 the film was registered by the Library of Congress, National Film Registry. According to "Chicago Sun-Times" film critic Roger Ebert, "El Norte" tells [the] story with astonishing visual beauty, with unashamed melodrama, with anger leavened by hope. It is a "Grapes of Wrath" for our time." [ [http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040801/REVIEWS08/408010301/1023 Ebert, Roger] . "Chicago Sun-Times," film review, August 1, 2004. Last accessed: 1/14/07.]

Further collaborations with his wife Thomas include: "The Confessions of Amans," "A Time of Destiny," "My Family," and "Frida" (screenplay), and other works.

Nava had further directing success in 1997 with the film "Selena," starring Jennifer Lopez, who was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress.

From 2003 to 2004, Nava executive produced the television series "American Family: Journey of Dreams" for PBS. He also directed a few episodes.

Last project

In 2006, Nava produced, wrote, and directed the film "Bordertown" which made its debut at the Berlin Film Festival on February 15, 2007. The film, based on true events, is a political thriller about a series of unsolved murders in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. It stars Jennifer Lopez as a Chicago-based reporter who follows the story. [ [http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/53064.html Santiago, Soledad] . "The Free New Mexican" article, December 2, 2006.] The film was shot in New Mexico and Mexico.

Filmography

* "The Confessions of Amans" (1977).
* "The End of August" (1982), screenplay only.
* "El Norte" (1983).
* "A Time of Destiny" (1988).
* "My Family/Mi Familia" (1995).
* "Selena" (1997).
* "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" (1998).
* "Frida" (2002), screenplay only.
* "Bordertown" (2007).

Television

* "The 20th Century: American Tapestry" (1999, Documentary)
* "American Family: Journey of Dreams" (2002-2004)

Awards

Wins
* Chicago International Film Festival: Gold Hugo Award, Best First Feature Award, for "The Confessions of Amans"; 1976.
* Montréal World Film Festival: "Grand Prix des Amériques", for "El Norte"; 1983.
* Donostia-San Sebastián International Film Festival: OCIC Award, for "My Family"; 1995.
* Bravo Awards: Outstanding Feature Film, for "My Family"; 1995.
* Taos Talking Picture Festival: Cineaste Award, 1995.
* ALMA Award: Outstanding Latino Director of a Feature Film, for "Selena"; 1997.
* ALMA Award: Outstanding Latino Director of a Feature Film, for "Why Do Fools Fall in Love"; 1998.
* Santa Fe Film Festival: Luminaria Award; 2006.

Nominations
* Academy Awards: Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, for "El Norte"; 1983.
* Writers Guild of America Award: Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, for "El Norte"; 1983.
* Donostia-San Sebastián International Film Festival: Golden Seashell Award, for "My Family"; 1995.
* Emmy Awards: Outstanding Miniseries, for "American Family: Journey of Dreams," for episode "Journey of Dreams"; 2002.
* Berlin International Film Festival: Golden Berlin Bear, Gregory Nava; for "Bordertown"; 2007.

Films

References

External links

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* [http://www.angelfire.com/celeb2/gnava/ Gregory Nava] informational web site
* [http://www.tv-now.com/stars/gregnava.html Gregory Nava] television schedule
* [http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/NavaInterview.html "Cineaste"] interview by Dennis West
* [http://www.pbs.org/now/transcript/transcript_nava.html PBS] interview of Gregory Nava with Bill Moyers
* [http://www.sdlatinofilm.com/trends17.html San Diego Film Festival] honors Gregory Nava