Antonio Giménez-Rico
Antonio Giménez-Rico Sáenz de Cabezón was a Spanish film director and screenwriter.
Early life and background
Antonio Giménez-Rico was born in Burgos, Spain. Son to a forestry engineer, he lived in various rural areas throughout his childhood. The bucolic settings of his upbringing were a foundational piece of inspiration for his career in the movie industry. However, for a time he thought that due to his rural childhood, a career in the film industry was not feasible. Even so, he had a self-described passion for film from a young age. Prior to his start in the industry, he obtained a law degree from the University of Valladolid. He also studied journalism and piano and worked on radio. Reflecting his affinity for cinema, he directed the film club at the university of Burgos and went to write movie criticism for the magazine, Cinestudio.Career
1963–1976: Early career and work on state television
Antonio Giménez-Rico began his career with an apprenticeship in film productions in 1963, working as an assistant director in films directed by Vittorio Cottafavi and Eugenio Martín, among others. In 1966 he made his debut as a director with the children's film, Mañana de Domingo,, which was followed by a number of comedies like El Hueso and El Cronicón. The failure of ¿Es usted mi padre? , led him to find employment on television.In 1970, Giménez-Rico began working extensively in state television for a period of years during which he directed the crime TV series Plinio, about a character created by the writer Francisco García Pavón. He also directed episodes for Crónicas de un pueblo, Cuentos y leyendas, and Los libros during his time with state television.
1976–2008: Film breakthrough and established career
He returned to feature films in 1976 with Retrato de Familia , an adaptation of Miguel Delibes novel, Mi idolatrado hijo Sisi '', dealing with members of a provincial family during the civil war; the film is widely considered as Giménez-Rico's best work. It enabled him to make Al fin solos pero... , which critics and audiences found disappointing. The little success he achieved with his next film Del Amor y de la muerte made him come back to work on television. He later made the highly acclaimed documentary film Vestida de Azul ', which combines a series of interviews with transsexuals with dramatized fictional scenes.Returning to television, Giménez-Rico directed the series Página de Sucesos. This was followed two years later by El disputado voto del señor Cayo ', which dealt with life in a Castillian village during the post Franco election of 1977, and another film adapted from a novel by Miguel Delibes. His following films failed to achieve critical or commercial success like his 1987 film Jarrapellejos, which was entered into the 38th Berlin International Film Festival.
Giménez-Rico briefly served as the President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences between 1988 and 1992. He also regularly appeared on the Spanish talk show ¡Que grande es el cine!. During this time, he continued to work on films. He made the anti militaristic comedy Soldadito Español '', which he co-scripted with Rafael Azcona, Cuatro Estaciones; and Tres Palabras . These films failed to impress critics or audiences. In 1999 he was a member of the jury at the 21st Moscow International Film Festival.
His last project was a historical drama set in the city of Burgos during the Spanish Civil War. It's based on Óscar Esquivias' novel Inquietud en el Paraíso ''.