Filmmakers

Gael GarcÍa Bernal

After working as an actor in his native Mexico since childhood, Gael GarcÍa Bernal made his feature film debut in Alejandro González Iñárritu's Academy Award-nominated Amores perros. His breakthrough performance in the universally acclaimed film earned him a Silver Ariel Award (Mexico's equivalent of the Oscar) as well as a Silver Hugo Award at the Chicago International Film Festival, both as Best Actor.

Mr. Bernal's next film role was in another globally celebrated feature, Alfonso Cuáron's Academy Award-nominated Y Tu Mamá También, starring opposite his lifelong friend Diego Luna. For their performances, the two friends were jointly voted the Marcello Mastroianni Award at the Venice International Film Festival.

He subsequently starred in the title role of Carlos Carrera's Academy Award-nominated romantic drama El Crimen del padre Amaro [The Crime of Father Amaro]. His performance earned him the Silver Goddess Award for Best Actor from the Mexican Cinema Journalists, as well as a nomination from the Chicago Film Critics Association for Most Promising Performer.

Mr. Bernal can also be seen starring this year in Pedro Almodóvar's La mala educacÍon [Bad Education]. He next begins work on James Marsh's independent feature, The King.

Rodrigo de la Serna

Whether on stage, screen, or television, Rodrigo de la Serna has established himself as a versatile actor in his native Argentina.

His film credits include Juan José Campanella's El mismo amor, la misma lluvia, Alberto Lecchi's Nueces para el amor, and Santiago Carlos Oves' Gallito Ciego.

Mr. de la Serna's television work includes Sol Negro, Cybersix, Naranja y Media, Vulnerables, Okupas, and Calientes.

Mía Maestro

Argentinian actress MÍa Maestro made her film debut in Carlos Saura's Tango.

Her subsequent features included three ensemble projects: Robert Dornhelm's The Venice Project, and Mike Figgis' Timecode and Hotel. The latter two works marked her first collaborations with Salma Hayek, with whom she would again act in Julie Taymor's Academy Award-winning Frida and Mariano Barroso's Showtime telefilm, In the Time Of Butterflies.

Ms. Maestro also starred opposite Andy Garcia in Joseph Sargent's HBO telefilm, For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story.

Walter Salles

Brazilian filmmaker Walter Salles' 1995 feature, Foreign Land (which he co-directed with Daniela Thomas), won Brazil's Silver Daisy Award for Best Film of the Year, among other honors.

His next film, Central Station, was selected for the Sundance-NHK Cinema 100 Award for its screenplay (based on his original story), and world-premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 1998. Central Station went on to win the awards for Best Film and Best Actress (Fernanda Montenegro) at the Berlin International Film Festival that same year, as well as the Golden Globe and BAFTA Awards for Best Foreign-Language Film. The film also received two Academy Award nominations, for Best Foreign-Language Film and Best Actress, and won Brazil's Silver Daisy Award for Best Film of the Year.

Mr. Salles' 2001 feature Behind the Sun, which he directed and co-wrote, was nominated for BAFTA and Golden Globe Awards for Best Foreign-Language Film; and won Brazil's Silver Daisy Award for Best Film of the Year.

In addition to his work as director and screenwriter, his career in feature films also encompasses acting as producer or co-producer of young Brazilian filmmakers' features. He co-produced the multiple Academy Award nominee City of God, directed by Fernando Meirelles and co-directed by Katía Lund; and produced Karim Ainouz's acclaimed Madame Satã. He is currently producing Cidade Baixa, the first film by his former Assistant Director Sergio Machado; and Andrucha Wattington's The House of Sand.

Mr. Salles' next film as director is the American-made feature, Dark Water, a thriller starring Jennifer Connelly.

José Rivera

José Rivera's plays have been translated into six languages. They include Marisol (Obie Award winner [off-Broadway's top prize] for Best Play), References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot (which also earned him an Obie Award), Cloud Tectonics, Each Day Dies with Sleep, The Promise, The House of Ramon Iglesia, Giants Have Us In Their Books, Sueno, The Street of the Sun, Sonnets for an Old Century, Brainpeople, and Adoration of the Old Woman.

He studied with Gabriel García Marquez at the Sundance Institute and was writer-in-residence at the Royal Court Theatre, London, on a Fulbright Arts Fellowship in Playwriting.

Mr. Rivera's television work includes the critically lauded NBC series Eerie, Indiana, which he co-created and produced. He has also written teleplays, among them an adaptation of his own The House of Ramon Iglesia (for PBS), as well as feature screenplays.

Michael Nozik

Michael Nozik received an Academy Award nomination as producer of Best Picture nominee Quiz Show, directed by Robert Redford and starring Ralph Fiennes, John Turturro, and Paul Scofield.

For six years, he was president of Robert Redford's film production companies, Wildwood Enterprises and South Fork Pictures.

Mr. Nozik's producing credits include Dan Algrant's People I Know, starring Al Pacino and Kim Basinger; and Robert Redford's The Legend of Bagger Vance, starring Matt Damon and Will Smith. For South Fork, he also produced How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog, starring Kenneth Branagh and Robin Wright Penn; Tamara Jenkins' Slums of Beverly Hills, starring Natasha Lyonne and Marisa Tomei; and Edward Burns' No Looking Back and She's the One (as executive producer).

Previously, Mr. Nozik had produced three films for director Mira Nair: The Perez Family, starring Marisa Tomei and Anjelica Huston; Mississippi Masala, staring Denzel Washington and Sarita Choudhury; and the Academy Award-nominated Salaam Bombay!

His other producing credits include Michael Apted's Thunderheart, starring Val Kilmer; Joan Micklin Silver's Crossing Delancey, starring Amy Irving; and Abel Ferrara's China Girl, starring David Caruso. For televison, he executive-produced PBS' Skinwalkers, based on the Tony Hillerman novel and directed by Chris Eyre; and the HBO movie Criminal Justice, directed by Andy Wolk.

Mr. Nozik is a founding partner in the newly formed Serenade Films, which finances low-budget digital video films for theatrical release. Serenade has been created on the egalitarian business model in which the entire filmmaking team works for extremely low but equal fees and then shares from first dollar in the revenue from the sale and distribution of the film.

Edgard Tenembaum

Edgard Tenembaum was born in Rosario, Argentina. He holds a master's degree in cinema studies from Paris' Sorbonne University.

As an associate producer at IMA Productions, he produced documentaries and feature films such as Pablo Perelman's Archipelago, and Gonzalo Justiniano's Amnesia.

Working at both Ellipse Canal Plus and Morgane Productions since 1997, Mr. Tenembaum has produced documentaries, telefilms, and feature films. These have included Assi Dayan's The 92 Minutes of Mr. Baum; Dover Kosashvili's Late Marriage, which went on to worldwide success following its World Premiere at the 2001 Cannes International Film Festival; and Damien Odoul's Le Souffle (winner of two awards at the 2001 Venice International Festival).

He reteamed with the latter director on Errances, which premiered at the 2003 Toronto International Film Festival. His most recent production is another reunion, with Dover Kosashvili on the 2004 release Gift From Heaven.

Mr. Tenembaum, along with his partners Gerard Lacroix and Gerard Pont, founded Tu Vas Voir Productions, a subsidiary of Morgane Production dedicated to feature film production. The Motorcycle Diaries is the company's first production.

Karen Tenkhoff

Karen Tenkhoff began her film career in post-production, working at LucasFilm and the Saul Zaentz Film Company as an assistant editor. She then transitioned into development, working with screenwriters on several projects, including Donnie Brasco (adapted by Paul Attanasio and directed by Mike Newell).

She is currently a producing partner at Wildwood Enterprises, Robert Redford's production company. She has developed a number of film projects for the company, including The Horse Whisperer and The Legend Of Bagger Vance (both directed by Robert Redford), and Pieter Jan Brugge's The Clearing.

Robert Redford

Long one of Hollywood's most prominent leading men, Robert Redford has acted in over thirty films; his distinguished career has included starring roles in such notable features as George Roy Hill's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Academy Award-winning The Sting; Jack Clayton's The Great Gatsby; Barry Levinson's The Natural, and Sydney Pollack's Academy Award-winning Out of Africa. He stars in two 2004 releases, Pieter Jan Brugge's The Clearing (with Willem Dafoe and Helen Mirren) and Lasse Hallström's An Unfinished Life (with Jennifer Lopez and Morgan Freeman).

Through his production company, Wildwood Enterprises, he has produced several of the pictures in which he has starred, among them Michael Ritchie's Downhill Racer and The Candidate; Sydney Pollack's The Electric Horseman; Alan J. Pakula's All the President's Men, and The Horse Whisperer (which he also directed). The company has an outstanding track record of producing quality feature films with an emphasis on social and political relevance.

Mr. Redford received the Academy Award for his feature directorial debut, Ordinary People, which was also honored with Oscars for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor. He was again Academy Award-nominated, in the Best Picture and Best Director categories, for his work on Quiz Show.

In 1981, Mr. Redford founded the Sundance Institute, which is dedicated to the support and development of artists of independent vision in cinema and theatre.

Through his production company, South Fork Pictures, he has executive-produced features by such independent filmmakers as Tamara Jenkins (Slums of Beverly Hills), Edward Burns (No Looking Back and She's the One), and Dan Algrant (People I Know).

In addition to his cinematic and artistic accomplishments, Mr. Redford has been very active in working with local, regional, and national organizations on a variety of environmental, arts and justice issues.

Paul Webster

Paul Webster is an independent feature film producer based in London. He is currently producing Pride & Prejudice for Working Title Films, to be directed by Joe Wright.

As the creator and head of FilmFour, the feature film arm of the U.K.'s Channel Four, he oversaw a slate of original productions from 1998 through 2002 that included such movies as The Motorcycle Diaries; Gregor Jordan's Buffalo Soldiers (starring Joaquin Phoenix); Jez Butterworth's Birthday Girl (starring Nicole Kidman); Gillian Armstrong's Charlotte Gray (starring Cate Blanchett), and Jonathan Glazer's Sexy Beast (for which Sir Ben Kingsley received an Academy Award nomination).

Prior to forming FilmFour, Mr. Webster was head of production at Miramax Films for over two years. In that capacity, he supervised such Academy Award-winning films as Anthony Minghella's The English Patient, Gus Van Sant's Good Will Hunting, and John Madden's Shakespeare in Love.

He had previously worked as a producer, both independently and with Working Title Films, during which time he produced such films as Mel Smith's The Tall Guy (starring Emma Thompson), Peter Medak's Romeo is Bleeding (starring Gary Oldman), and James Gray's Little Odessa (which won the Silver Lion Award at the 1994 Venice International Film Festival). He subsequently reteamed with the latter filmmaker as producer of The Yards.

Prior to segueing into his producing career, he ran Palace Pictures, the theatrical distribution arm of the U.K. production company Palace. Mr. Webster began working in the film industry in the mid-1970s, clerking at the (Notting Hill) Gate cinema.

Rebecca Yeldham

Rebecca Yeldham was born in Sydney, Australia and relocated to the U.S. in 1989 when she transferred to Brown University. There, she obtained a B.A. in Modern Culture and Media, magna cum laude.

For several years, she ran the U.S. production office of FilmFour, the arm of the U.K.'s Channel Four that develops and co-finances feature films. Overseeing development and production, she worked with such filmmakers as Todd Haynes, Alison Maclean, David Siegel, and Scott McGeehee, and Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries).

While at FilmFour, Ms. Yeldham developed Don Cheadle's Tishomingo Blues (based on Elmore Leonard's novel), which she will produce and which is scheduled to start shooting in October 2004, financed by Stratus Films. She is also developing and will produce Curtis Hanson's Right As Rain, which David Benioff has adapted from George Pelecanos' novel.

Prior to joining FilmFour, she was the senior film programmer of the Sundance Film Festival and the associate director of International Programs there. Between 1996 and 2000, she was responsible for selecting movies for the Festival as well as organizing initiatives around the world to support emerging filmmakers, writers, and producers.

In April 2003, Ms. Yeldham partnered with producer Bill Horberg at his DreamWorks-based Wonderland Films. Their production slate includes an adaptation of Khaled Hosseini's acclaimed novel The Kite Runner, to be directed by Sam Mendes; Peter Himmelstein's debut feature, Peep World, and projects with Tom Tykwer, Jez Butterworth, Kevin McDonald, and Messrs. Siegel and McGeehee.

Daniel Burman and Diego Dubcovsky

Daniel Burman and Diego Dubcovsky created BD Cine in 1997 in Buenos Aires to produce their inaugural feature, Un Crisantemo Estalla en Cincoesquinas, directed by Mr. Burman.

Since then, BD Cine has continued to evolve as a production company committed to the development of Argentine filmmakers. BD Cine's focus is on projects that promote a strong cultural identity, and on providing the appropriate distribution and screening channels for each project from the outset. The company has developed strong relationships with European and Latin American production companies.

BD Cine has produced such films as Every Stewardess Goes to Heaven [Todas las Azafatas van al Cielo], directed by Mr. Burman, which won the 2001 Sundance NHK Best Script award and was nominated for the AFI Fest's Grand Jury Prize; Smokers Only [Vagon Fumador], directed by Verónica Chen; F*ckland [DOGMA 95 N°8] by José Luis Marqués, and Garage Olimpo, directed by Marco Bechis.

Upcoming BD Cine films include Buenos Aires Lesbians, directed by Santiago GarcÍa; Swimming Alone [Nadar Solo], directed by Ezequiel Acuña, and Lost Embrace [El abrazo partido].

The latter, directed and co-written by Mr. Burman and executive-produced by Mr. Dubcovsky, was produced with the support of Canal Plus and will be distributed by Bavaria Film International. It recently screened at the Berlin International Film Festival, where it won Silver Bear Awards for Best Actor (Daniel Hendler) and Grand Jury Prize (Mr. Burman).

Daniel Burman began his career as a filmmaker in 1993 with the documentary ¿En qué estación estamos?, which was awarded the UNESCO Honorary Mention. The following year, he won the Annual Short Competition award given by the National Film and Audiovisual Arts Institute (INCAA) for Niños envueltos.

Diego Dubcovsky has been a cinematographer and television producer since 1992, working with such companies and television channels as Aleph, Cablevision, Channel 9, Multimedios America, and Flehner Films, among many others.

Their commitment to Argentine filmmaking goes beyond producing films; both Mr. Burman and Mr. Dubcovsky additionally teach film production at the University of Buenos Aires.

Eric Gautier

Eric Gautier's film credits as cinematographer encompass several notable features in his native France.

He was the DP on Partrice Chéreau's Son Frère and award-winning Intimacy; Claude Berri's Une femme de ménage [The Housekeeper]; Raoul Ruiz' Les ames fortes; Olivier Assayas' Les destinées sentimentales; Leos Carax' Pola X, and Marion Vernoux's Love, Etc.

Daniel Rezende

For his editing of the Brazilian feature City of God [Cidade de Deus], directed by Fernando Meirelles and co-directed by KatÍa Lund, Daniel Rezende received an Academy Award nomination. His work on the film (which was co-produced by The Motorcycle Diaries' Walter Salles) also earned Mr. Rezende a BAFTA Award (Britain's equivalent of the Oscar), the Cinema Brazil Grand Prize, and honors at the Havana Film Festival. His next project is Walter Salles' Dark Water.

In his native Brazil, he has also edited such features as Elaine Caffé's Narradores de Javé; [The Storytellers], and numerous music videos and television commercials.

Gustavo Santaolalla

Gustavo Santaolalla has collaborated with Alejandro González Iñárritu on Amores perros, for which he composed the original score (receiving a Silver Ariel Award [Mexico's equivalent of the Oscar] nomination); on the award-winning 21 Grams, and on Mr. Iñárritu 's segment of the multipart feature, 11'9"01.

In 1967, he founded the legendary Arco Iris, the Argentine band that pioneered the fusion of rock and Latin American folk. In 1981, he released his first solo album, "Santaolalla," followed by two more solo projects: 1995's powerful "GAS" (which featured the hit "Todo Vale") and 1998's instrumental "Ronroco."

As a producer, Mr. Santaolalla has worked with and developed some of the most important musical talents in Latin America. If "rock-en-español" is now a Pan-American global movement, credit is due to the top-selling albums that he has produced with Anibal Kerpel. Through their Surco Records, they have overseen albums by artists including Molotov, Café Tacuba, Caifanes, Maldita Vecindad, Divididos, Bersuit, La Vela Puerca, Puya, Arbol, El Otro Yo, Fiebre, Dracma, and Juanes.

A Latin Grammy Award winner in the awards' inaugural year (in 2000, for producing Café Tacuba's "Revés/Yo soy"), he has been nominated several times since, winning three more in 2003 (including album of the year, for "Un Dia Normal").

Mr. Santaolalla most recently received a Grammy Award in 2004, for producing Café Tacuba's "Cuatro Caminos."

Carlos Conti

Carlos Conti was born in Cordoba, Argentina and now lives in Paris, France. His credits as production designer include Sally Potter's The Tango Lesson; Claude Sautet's Nelly et Monsieur Arnaud; André Téchiné's Ma saison préférée, and Jean-Jacques Beineix' Betty Blue.

Beatriz Di Benedetto

Beatriz Di Benedetto has designed the costumes for Robert Duvall's Assassination Tango; Eduardo Mignogna's La Fuga [The Escape] El Faro; Gerardo Herrero's Frontera Sur; Carlos Saura's Tango (which starred The Motorcycle Diaries' Mía Maestro), and the telefilm The Man Who Captured Eichmann, directed by William A. Graham and starring Robert Duvall.

Marisa Urruti

Marisa Urruti was the costume designer on Alejandro Agresti's Valentín; Hector Babenco's Corazón iluminado [Foolish Heart], and Pablo Trapero's acclaimed El bonaerense.

Her first film job was as an assistant on Ron Howard's Gung Ho. She later worked on Martin Donovan's Apartment Zero; Leonard Schrader's Naked Tango, and Jean-Jacques Annaud's Seven Years in Tibet, among other features.

Ms. Urruti, who is based in Buenos Aires, has also designed costumes for commercials and music videos.

Jacqueline Durran

Jean-Claude Brisson previously collaborated with Walter Salles on the award-winning Central Station.

Mr. Brisson's other sound work in films includes Nae Caranfil's Filantropica; Bernard Dumont's Ligne 208; Raoul Ruiz' Présomption d'Innocence; Sudhir Mishra's Twist with Destiny; Anne Villacèque's Petite chérie, and Christopher Honoré's controversial Ma mère (starring Isabelle Huppert).

He was the sound recordist on two films shown at the 2004 Cannes International Film Festival: The Motorcycle Diaries and Simone Bitton's documentary, MUR.

Gianni Minà

For forty years, Gianni Minà has been an esteemed correspondent for RAI, the Italian State television network, producing such programs as A History of Jazz, A History of Central and South American Music, and A History of Boxing. In 1981, he was awarded the Saint Vincent Prize for Best TV Journalist of the Year. From 1981 to 1984, he created and produced Blitz, the hit TV series. Between 1996 and 1998, he produced Storie [Stories], a popular interview-based TV program.

In 1987, Mr. Minà produced a historic documentary, interviewing Cuba's President Fidel Castro for 16 hours. He later published two books based on those interviews. His other published works include Marcos e l'insurrezione zapatista [Marcos and the Zapatist Insurrection], Un continente desaparecido [A Lost Continent], Il Papa e Fidel [The Pope and Fidel], Storie [Stories], and Un mondo migliore è possibile [A Better World is Possible].

His notable documentary features include Muhammad Alì, una storia americana [Muhammad Ali, An American Story]; Marcos: aquÍ estamos [Marcos: Here We Are], and Diego Maradona: non sarò mai un uomo comune [Diego Maradona: I'll Never Be a Common Man].

Most recently, Mr. Minà produced and directed the feature documentary Traveling with Che Guevara, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of The Motorcycle Diaries.