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Laura Amelia Guzmán and Israel Cárdenas

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Israel Cárdenas and Laura Amelia Guzmán at the IFFR 2023 to promote their movie Babygirl

Laura Amelia Guzmán (born May 7, 1980) and Israel Cárdenas (born February 15, 1980) are a husband and wife directorial team.

Early life

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Guzmán was born in the Dominican Republic to parents who worked as art directors.[1] She initially worked as a cinematographer before turning to directing.

Cárdenas was born and raised in Mexico.

Filmmaking career

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Since 2007, Laura Amelia Guzmán and Israel Cárdenas have run the production company Aurora Dominicana based in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. [2]

Guzmán and Cárdenas began their directing and producing career in 2007 with their movie Cochochi.

In 2010 they co-directed the movie Jean Gentil which caught the attention of actress Geraldine Chaplin. They produced the film with their company Aurora Dominicana. [3]

In 2013, they expanded to create a post-production studio also based in the Dominican Republic called Aurora Color Post. [4]

After hearing Chaplin's warm praise of their film they decided to offer her a role in their next film Sand Dollars, also produced by their company. After Chaplin agreed to appear in a small role the couple decided to rewrite the male main characters to be women in order to give Chaplin a larger role.[5] The film was chosen as the Dominican Republic's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2015 but did not make the shortlist.[6]

In 2016 Guzmán announced she was directing a sequel to Sand Dollars called Noeli Overseas.[7] The final film premiered in the Dominican Republic in 2018 and was credited to both Guzmán and Cárdenas.

Their film Holy Beasts premiered at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival.[8] The film starred Geraldine Chaplin and Udo Kier as fictional friends assembling to film the lost screenplay of real-life Dominican screenwriter Jean-Louis Jorge who was murdered in 2000.[9]

Filmography

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References

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  1. ^ Molina, Mary Angelica. "The Director Of The DR's Oscar Entry Talks Writing Charlie Chaplin's Daughter Into Her Film". Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  2. ^ Sittón, Winnie. "Good Dominican Films". Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  3. ^ "Jean Gentil". Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  4. ^ "Aurora Color". Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  5. ^ "Interview: The Filmmakers of Dominican Republic's Oscar Entry 'Sand Dollars'". Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  6. ^ Salazar, Francisco. "BEHIND THE SCENES: How 'Sand Dollars' Overcame Casting Challenges to Become Oscar Contender". Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  7. ^ Levine, Sydney. "Screening in Cannes: Dominican Work-in-Progress Winner at IFF Panama 'Noeli Overseas'/ 'Noeli en los países'". Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  8. ^ Young, Deborah (2019). "'Holy Beasts' ('La Fiera y la Fiesta'): Film Review | Berlin 2019". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  9. ^ Hopewell, John; Lang, Jamie (10 February 2019). "Laura Amelia Guzman, Israel Cardenas Drill Down on 'Holy Beasts'". Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  10. ^ "Aurora Dominicana". Retrieved 18 July 2021.
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