Pedro Almodovar
Pedro Almodóvar Caballero (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈpeðɾo almoˈðoβar kaβaˈʎeɾo]; born 25 September 1949) is a Spanish film director, screenwriter, producer and former actor. He came to prominence as a director and screenwriter during La Movida Madrileña, a cultural renaissance that followed the death of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. His first few films characterised the sense of sexual and political freedom of the period. Almodóvar achieved international recognition for his black comedy-drama film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. He later won the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Original Screenplay for the comedy-drama All About My Mother (1999) and the drama Talk to Her (2002) respectively. Other popular films includethe dark romantic comedy film Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1990), the melodrama High Heels (1991), the romantic drama thriller Live Flesh (1997), the dramas Bad Education (2004) and Volver (2006), the romantic thriller Broken Embraces (2009) and the psychological thriller The Skin I Live In (2011). His films are marked by his employment of certain actors and creative personnel, complex narratives, melodrama, pop culture, popular songs, irreverent humour, strong colours and glossy décor. Desire, passion, family and identity are among Almodóvar’s most prevalent themes. Noted for being one of the most internationally-successful Spanish filmmakers, Almodóvar's films have a worldwide and cult following. He has won 2 Academy Awards, 5 BAFTA Awards, 6 European Film Awards, 2 Golden Globe Awards, 6 Goya Awards and several honours at the Cannes Film Festival. In 1997, Almodóvar received the French Legion of Honour, followed by the Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts by the Spanish Ministry of Culture in 1999. He was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2001 and received an honorary doctoral degree in 2009 from Harvard University for his contribution to the arts. In 2013, he received an honorary European Film Award for European Achievement to World Cinema. In 1986, he founded his own film production company El Deseo with his younger brother Agustín Almodóvar, which has produced all of his films since Law of Desire (1987).