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Héctor Olivera
Héctor Olivera
	Olivera in 1982
Born	5 April 1931 (age 93); Olivos, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Occupation(s)	Film director; Film producer; Screenwriter; Studio executive
Years active	1949 – 2012

Héctor Olivera (born 5 April 1931) is an Argentine film director, producer and screenwriter. Olivera worked mainly in the cinema of Argentina, but also has directed or contributed to several films made for the United States market.^[1]

Biography

Olivera began his career when he was seventeen as a second assistant director and founded his own production company in 1956 at age twenty-five. He has produced over 100 features.

In the United States he is known for two of his films: Night of the Pencils (1986) and Funny Dirty Little War (1983).

After completing Funny Dirty Little War, he directed five films for Roger Corman: Cocaine Wars (1985), Barbarian Queen (1985), Wizards of the Lost Kingdom (1985), Two to Tango (1988), and Play Murder for Me (1990).^[2]

Olivera has occasionally received criticism for his choice of projects. While he has been recognized for delivering poignant political messages in some of his films he has also directed much more commercial fare. Argentine film historian Tamara Falicov addressed Olivera's track record in an article about American and Argentine co-productions in the 1980s and 1990s:

"Olivera stated in an interview that these more politically engaged films were in a sense "subsidized" by the more popular genres that he and Ayala produced. In order for Argentine film to survive, Olivera believes, it must conform to an industrial model as well as serving as a vehicle for cultural production. This model thus far has been successful, as Aries is one of the few remaining Argentine film studios still in production."^[3]

Festival juries

In 1988 he was selected as a member of the jury for the feature films official selection at the Cannes Film Festival.^[4] In 1998 he was selected as a member of the jury at the 48th Berlin International Film Festival that selected the "Golden Bear."^[5]

Filmography as a director

Primero yo (1964)
Los neuróticos (1971)
Argentinísima (1972)
Argentinísima II (1973)
Las Venganzas de Beto Sánchez (1973)
La Patagonia rebelde (1974; adapted from Osvaldo Bayer's book; 1974 Silver Bear at the 24th Berlin International Film Festival)
Cacique Bandeira (1975)
El canto cuenta su historia (1976)
La Nona (1979)
Los viernes de la eternidad (1981)
No habrá más penas ni olvido (1983), a.k.a. Funny Dirty Little War
Buenos Aires Rock (1983)
El mago del reino perdido (1985), a.k.a. Wizards of the Lost Kingdom
Reina salvaje (1985), a.k.a. Barbarian Queen
La muerte blanca (1985), a.k.a. Cocaine Wars
La noche de los lápices (1986), a.k.a. Night of the Pencils
Matar es morir un poco (1988), a.k.a. Two to Tango
Negra medianoche (1990), a.k.a. Play Murder for Me
El Caso María Soledad (1993)
Una sombra ya pronto serás (1994)
Antigua vida mía (2001)
Ay Juancito (2004)
El mural (2010)

Awards

Wins

Cairo International Film Festival: Best Director, for Ay Juancito, 2004.
Argentinian Film Critics Association Awards: Career Condor, 2004.
Cognac Festival du Film Policier: Grand Prix, for Funny Dirty Little War, 1985.
Berlin International Film Festival: Confédération Internationale des Cinémas d'Art et Essai Juries (C.I.C.A.E.) Award; International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) Prize; Silver Berlin Bear, Special Jury Prize; for Funny Dirty Little War, 1984.^[6]
Berlin International Film Festival: Silver Berlin Bear, for La Patagonia rebelde, 1974.^[7]

Nominations

15th Moscow International Film Festival: Golden Prize, for Night of the Pencils, 1986.^[8]
Berlin International Film Festival: Golden Berlin Bear, for Funny Dirty Little War, 1985.
Fantasporto: International Fantasy Film Award, for Los viernes de la eternidad, 1981.
Berlin International Film Festival: Golden Berlin Bear, for La Patagonia rebelde, 1974.

References

^ Héctor Olivera at IMDb
^ Film Festivals Archived 2007-02-11 at the Wayback Machine web site.
^ Tamara L. Falicov "U.S.-Argentine Co-productions, 1982-1990: Roger Corman, Aries Productions, 'Schlockbuster' Movies, and the International Market" Film & History 2004 Vol.34, Iss. 1; pg. 31-38
^ Cannes Archived 2006-11-21 at the Wayback Machine Film Festival web site.
^ "Berlinale: 1998 Juries". berlinale.de. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
^ "Berlinale: 1984 Prize Winners". berlinale.de. Retrieved 2011-01-06.
^ "Berlinale 1974: Prize Winners". berlinale.de. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
^ "15th Moscow International Film Festival (1987)". MIFF. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-18.