Alejandro Amenábar

Alejandro Fernando Amenábar Cantos, more well known as Alejandro Amenábar, born 31 March 1972, is an acclaimed Chilean-Spanish film director, screenwriter and composer. He is well-recognized in the cinematic universe, having attained nine Goya Awards, which includes Best Director for his 2001 film, The Others. He has also been honored with two European Film Awards and an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film on behalf of Spain for The Sea Inside. Over the span of his illustrious career, he has scripted, either personally or collaboratively, all seven of his films and composed almost all of their soundtracks. Amenábar was born in Santiago, Chile, to Chilean father, Hugo Ricardo Amenábar, and Spanish mother, Josefina Cantos. After moving to Spain, his family settled in Madrid, living in a camping caravan, and when Alejandro was six years old, they moved to a complex on the outskirts of Paracuellos de Jarama. His passions from a younger age included writing stories and reading books, in addition to composing melodies with the keyboard and guitar. His career ascended between 1991 and 1994 when he created three short films which significantly influenced his full-length films. His film, The Sea Inside, a moving story about a quadriplegic which addressed issues like euthanasia, and the right to a dignified life won several awards. He returned after a hiatus in 2015 with the thriller, Regression. Outside of creating his own films, Amenábar also scores soundtracks for other movies.