Biography
He was born in Calzada de Calatrava, province of Ciudad Real, in the heart of La Mancha, in the 50s. When he was eight, he emigrated with his family to Estremadura. There he studied for his elementary and high school diplomas respectively with the Salesian Fathers and the Franciscans.
At seventeen, he left home and moved to Madrid, with no money and no job, but with a very specific project in mind: to study cinema and direct films. It was impossible to enrol in the Official Film School because Franco had just closed it. Despite the dictatorship that was suffocating the country, for an adolescent from the provinces Madrid represented culture, independence and freedom. He worked at many, sporadic jobs but couldn't buy his first Super-8mm camera until he got a "serious" job at the National Telephone Company of Spain in 1971. He worked there for twelve years as an administrative assistant, he shared this job in the mornings with other multiple activities which provided his real training as a filmmaker and as a person.
In the mornings, in the Telephone Company, he got an in-depth knowledge of the Spanish middle class at the start of the consumer era, the seventies, its dramas and its misfortunes, a real gold mine for a future story teller. In the evenings and nights, he wrote, loved, acted with the mythical independent theatre group Los Goliardos and made films in Super-8 (his only school as a filmmaker). He collaborated with various underground magazines and wrote stories, some of which were published. He was a member of a parodic punk-rock group, Almodóvar and McNamara, etc. And he had the good fortune that his personal explosion coincided with the explosion of the democratic Madrid of the last seventies, early eighties. That was the period the world knew as La Movida.
His films are the heirs and the witnesses of the brand new born Spanish democracy. After a year and a half of eventful shooting on 16mm, in 1980 he opened "Pepi, Luci, Bom", a no-budget film made as a cooperative effort with the rest of the crew and the cast, all beginners, except for Carmen Maura.
In 1986, he founded the production company El Deseo S.A. with his brother Agustín. Their first project was "Law of Desire". Since then, they have produced all the films that Pedro has written and directed, and have also produced other young directors.
In 1988, "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" brought him international recognition. Since then, his films have opened all around the world. With "All About my Mother" he won his first Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, and also the Golden Globe, the César, 3 European Film Awards, the David de Donatello, 2 BAFTAs, 7 Goyas and 45 other awards. Three years later, "Talk to Her" had the same or better fortune (Academy Award for Best Script, 5 European Film Awards, 2 BAFTAs, the Nastro de Argento, the César and many other awards throughout the world but not in Spain).
He produced four very special films, highly rated throughout the world for their valour and delicacy ("My Life Without Me", "The Holy Girl", "The Secret Life of Words" and "The Headless Woman", by Isabel Coixet and Lucrecia Martel alternatively). In 2004, "Bad Education" was chosen to open the Cannes Festival. It received extraordinary reviews throughout the world. It was nominated for numerous awards (Independent Spirit Awards, BAFTAs, César, European Film Awards) and won the prestigious Award for Best Foreign Film given by the New York Critics' Circle and also the Nastro de Argento.
In 2006 he is awarded with the Prince of Asturias Award to the Arts. That very same year he presents "Volver" in competition in the Cannes Film Festival, where it got the Best Screenplay Award as well as the Best Actress Award for the six actresses of the film, leaded by Penélope Cruz. The film received 5 EFA awards, 5 Goya awards, the Fipresci award, the National Board of Review, and many others (up to 72). Penélope was nominated to the Best Actress Academy Award, being the first time a Spanish actress was nominated for a Spanish speaking film. Up to now, "Volver" has been his most popular film in terms of box office.
FilmNation
Screenwriter
Movies | |
---|---|
2024 |
A Manual for Cleaning Women |
2021 |
Parallel Mothers |
2019 |
Pain & Glory |
2016 |
Julieta |
2013 |
I'm So Excited! |
2011 |
The Skin I Live In |
2009 |
Broken Embraces |
2006 |
Volver |
2004 |
Bad Education |
2002 |
Talk to Her |
1999 |
All About My Mother |
1997 |
Live Flesh |
1995 |
The Flower of My Secret |
1993 |
Kika |
1991 |
High Heels |
1989 |
Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! |
1988 |
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown |
1987 |
Law of Desire |
1986 |
Matador |
1984 |
What Have I Done to Deserve This? |
1983 |
Dark Habits |
1982 |
Labyrinth of Passion |
1980 |
Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls Like Mom |
1978 |
Folle... folle... fólleme Tim! |
Short | |
---|---|
2023 |
Strange Way of Life |
2020 |
The Human Voice |
2009 |
The Cannibalistic Councillor |
1985 |
Tráiler para amantes de lo prohibido (TV movie) |
1978 |
Salomé |
1977 |
Sexo va, sexo viene |
1976 |
Muerte en la carretera |
Sea caritativo |
|
1975 |
Blancor |
El sueńo, o la estrella |
|
Homenaje |
|
La caída de Sódoma |
|
1974 |
Dos putas, o historia de amor que termina en boda (amateur movie) |
Film político (amateur movie) |
Director
Movies | |
---|---|
2021 |
Parallel Mothers |
2019 |
Pain & Glory |
2016 |
Julieta |
2013 |
I'm So Excited! |
2011 |
The Skin I Live In |
2009 |
Broken Embraces |
2006 |
Volver |
2004 |
Bad Education |
2002 |
Talk to Her |
1999 |
All About My Mother |
1997 |
Live Flesh |
1995 |
The Flower of My Secret |
1993 |
Kika |
1991 |
High Heels |
1989 |
Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! |
1988 |
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown |
1987 |
Law of Desire |
1986 |
Matador |
1984 |
What Have I Done to Deserve This? |
1983 |
Dark Habits |
1982 |
Labyrinth of Passion |
1980 |
Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls Like Mom |
1978 |
Folle... folle... fólleme Tim! |
Short | |
---|---|
2023 |
Strange Way of Life |
2020 |
The Human Voice |
2009 |
The Cannibalistic Councillor |
1985 |
Tráiler para amantes de lo prohibido (TV movie) |
1978 |
Salomé |
1977 |
Sexo va, sexo viene |
1976 |
Muerte en la carretera |
Sea caritativo |
|
1975 |
Blancor |
El sueńo, o la estrella |
|
Homenaje |
|
La caída de Sódoma |
|
1974 |
Dos putas, o historia de amor que termina en boda (amateur movie) |
Film político (amateur movie) |
Producer
Movies | |
---|---|
2024 |
A Manual for Cleaning Women |
2020 |
It Snows in Benidorm |
2018 |
El Angel |
2015 |
The Clan |
2014 |
Wild Tales |
2008 |
The Headless Woman |
2004 |
Bad Education |
1998 |
Shampoo Horns |
1993 |
Mutant Action |
1988 |
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown |
1982 |
Labyrinth of Passion |
Pestańas postizas |
Short | |
---|---|
2020 |
The Human Voice |
2017 |
Frozen Princess |
Actor
Movies | |
---|---|
2004 |
Bad Education |
1999 |
All About My Mother |
Zapping - a.f. |
|
1987 |
Law of Desire |
1984 |
What Have I Done to Deserve This? |
1983 |
Dark Habits |
1982 |
Labyrinth of Passion |
1980 |
Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls Like Mom |
1979 |
Rapture |
1978 |
A Man Called Autumn Flower |
Tiempos de constitución |
|
¿Qué hace una chica como tú en un sitio como éste? |
Series | |
---|---|
2020 |
The Ministry of Time - a.f. |
El laberinto del tiempo - a.f. (S04E02) |
Documentaries | |
---|---|
2023 |
La Parte Del Leone: Una Storia Della Mostra |
2022 |
Antonio Banderas and Pedro Almodovar: From Desire to Double (TV movie) - a.f. |
El viaje de Julieta |
|
2019 |
The Universe Montesinos |
2018 |
Why Are We Creative? |
¡Ay, Carmen! |
|
2015 |
Almodóvar - Tout sur ses femmes (TV movie) - a.f. |
2010 |
Arrebatados. Recordando a Iván Zulueta |
Spanish Hollywood - a.f. |
|
2009 |
50 años de (series) |
2008 |
Coração Vagabundo |
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired - a.f. |
|
2007 |
A la diestra del cielo: Silvio, un cantaor rockero - a.f. |
Maquillando entre monstruos (TV movie) |
|
2005 |
L'hebdo cinéma (series) |
2004 |
Je t'aime... moi non plus : Artistes et critiques |
2003 |
Claude Berri, le dernier nabab (TV movie) |
Il était une fois... (series) |
|
2002 |
The Bronze Screen: 100 Years of the Latino Image in American Cinema - a.f. |
1991 |
Madonna: Truth or Dare |
Guest
Fans
(2,872)- pm screenwriter
- eLeR director
- dopitak director
- lola3121 director
- jojinecko director
- evulienka3 director
- MontyBrogan screenwriter
- Havenohome director
- kajda.l screenwriter
- Kamca_ director
- Katullka director
- Khalesi director
- Rohy212 director
- Mr. Lobo screenwriter
- Wewik screenwriter
- Bast director
- apokar director
- Avalon820 director
- Martinibaby director
- Lenchik director