Early life

Born into a family of artists (his mother was a pianist and his brother, Antonio Saura, a painter), he developed his artistic sense in childhood as a photography enthusiast.

He obtained his directing diploma in Madrid in 1957 at the Institute of Cinema Research and Studies. He also taught there until 1963.

Career

In 1957-1958, Saura created his first film (Cuenca). In 1962 his film Los Golfos was recognized for its strong sociological impact in the betterment of the Spanish youth by tackling juvenile delinquency in Madrid's poorest districts. Four years later (1966), he was honored at the 16th Berlin International Film Festival, where he received the Silver Bear for Best Director for his film La caza. In 1967, his film Peppermint Frappé also received the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 18th Berlin International Film Festival. He won the Golden Bear in 1981 at the 31st Berlin International Film Festival for his film Deprisa, Deprisa.

The films La prima Angélica (Cousin Angélica) of 1973 and Cría cuervos (Raising Ravens ) of 1975 received the special prize of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival. His film Mama cumple 100 años (Mom is celebrating her 100 years) was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 1980 Academy Awards.

Saura later become known for movies featuring flamenco and other traditional dances. His Flamenco Trilogy of the 1980s includes Bodas de Sangre (Blood Wedding), Carmen, and El amor brujo featuring the work of Spanish flamenco dancer Cristina Hoyos. He later made the movies Flamenco (1995), Tango (1998), and Fados (2007).

His 1989 film La noche oscura was entered into the 39th Berlin International Film Festival.

Saura considers his film on surrealist master Luis Buñuel to be his best cinematic work. In an interview to an online film magazine, he says about Buñuel y la mesa del rey Salomón (Buñuel and the table of King Solomon -2001): “That’s the greatest film I’ve ever made. I like the film but nobody else seems to like it. I’m sure Buñuel would have loved this film. But perhaps only he would have loved it. Everything you see in the film is actually based on conversations I had with him.”

In 1990, he received the Goya Award for the best director and best script for ¡Ay, Carmela!. He was chosen as director for the official film of the 1992 Olympic Games of Barcelona, Marathon (1993).

In 2008, Carlos Saura was honoured with a Global Life Time Achievement Award at the 10th Mumbai International Film Festival, organized by the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image.

In 2013, he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 18th International Film Festival of Kerala.

Personal life

Carlos Saura was married three times. He first married Adela Medrano in Barcelona in 1957. They had two sons, Carlos (b. 1958) and Antonio (b. 1960). On 27 December 1982 he married Mercedes Pérez. They had three sons, Manuel (b. 1980), Adrián (b. 1984) and Diego (b. 1987).

Between those two marriages, Saura had at least one known son, Shane (b. 1974), with the actress Geraldine Chaplin. His relationship history led some to believe he may have fathered more children. He is also the father of a daughter named Ana (b. December 1994) from his third marriage to actress Eulalia Ramón.

Filmography

• 1955 : Flamenco (short film)
• 1956 : El Pequeño río Manzanares (short film)
• 1957 : La Tarde del domingo (short film)
• 1958 : Cuenca
• 1959 : Los golfos
• 1963 : Llanto por un bandido
• 1965 : La caza
• 1967 : Peppermint Frappé
• 1968 : Stress-es tres-tres
• 1969 : La madriguera
• 1970 : El jardín de las delicias
• 1972 : Ana y los lobos
• 1973 : La prima Angélica
• 1975 : Cría cuervos
• 1977 : Elisa, vida mía
• 1978 : Los ojos vendados
• 1979 : Mamá cumple cien años
• 1980 : Deprisa, Deprisa
• 1981 : Bodas de Sangre
• 1982 : Sweet Hours
• 1982 : Antonieta
• 1983 : Carmen
• 1984 : Los Zancos
• 1986 : El amor brujo
• 1988 : El Dorado
• 1989 : La Noche oscura
• 1990 : Ay Carmela
• 1992 : El Sur
• 1992 : Marathon
• 1992 : Sevillanas
• 1993 : ¡Dispara!
• 1995 : Flamenco
• 1997 : Taxi
• 1997 : Pajarico
• 1998 : Tango
• 1999 : Goya en Burdeos
• 2001 : Buñuel y la mesa del rey Salomón
• 2002 : Salomé
• 2004 : El séptimo día
• 2005 : Iberia
• 2007 : Fados
• 2008 : Sinfonía de Aragón (short film)
• 2009 : Io, Don Giovanni
• 2010 : Flamenco, Flamenco
• 2015 : Zonda, folclore argentino
• 2016 : Renzo Piano, an Architect for Santander
• 2016 : 33 días (pre-production)

Selected awards and nominations

Academy Awards

• 1980 - Nominated: Best Foreign Language Film - Mamá cumple 100 años.
• 1984 - Nominated: Best Foreign Language Film - Carmen.
• 1999 - Nominated: Best Foreign Language Film - Tango.

BAFTA Award

• 1983 - Won: BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Language Film - Carmen.

Berlin Film Festival

• 1964 - Nominated: Golden Berlin Bear - Llanto por un bandido.
• 1966 - Won: Silver Bear for Best Director at the 16th Berlin International Film Festival for his film La caza.
• 1966 - Nominated: Golden Berlin Bear - La caza.
• 1968 - Won: Silver Bear for Best Director at the 18th Berlin International Film Festival for his film Peppermint Frappé.
• 1968 - Nominated: Golden Berlin Bear - Peppermint Frappé.
• 1969 - Nominated: Golden Berlin Bear - La madriguera.
• 1981 - Won: Golden Bear at the 31st Berlin International Film Festival for his film Deprisa, deprisa.
• 1989 - Nominated: Golden Berlin Bear - La noche oscura.

Camerimage

• 1998 - Won: Special Award (Film Direction with a Special Visual Sensitivity).
• 2009 - Won: Cinematographer-Director Duo Award (shared with Vittorio Storaro).

Cannes Film Festival

• 1960 - Nominated: Golden Palm - Los golfos.
• 1973 - Nominated: Golden Palm - Ana y los lobos.
• 1974 - Won: Jury Prize at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival for his film La prima Angélica.
• 1974 - Nominated: Golden Palm - La prima Angélica.
• 1976 - Won: Grand Prix of the Jury at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival for his film Cría cuervos...
• 1976 - Nominated: Golden Palm - Cría cuervos....
• 1977 - Nominated: Golden Palm - Elisa, vida mía.
• 1978 - Nominated: Golden Palm - Los ojos vendados.
• 1983 - Won: Technical Grand Prize at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival for his film Carmen.
• 1983 - Won: Award for Best Artistic Contribution at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival for his film Carmen.
• 1983 - Nominated: Golden Palm - Carmen.
• 1988 - Nominated: Golden Palm - El Dorado.

European Film Awards

• 2004 - Won: Lifetime Achievement Award.
• 2008 - Nominated: Best Documentary Award - Fados.

Golden Globe Awards

• 1978 - Nominated: Best Foreign Language Film - Cría cuervos...
• 1984 - Nominated: Best Foreign Language Film - Carmen.
• 1999 - Nominated: Best Foreign Language Film - Tango.

Goya Awards

• 1991 - Won: Goya Award for Best Director - ¡Ay, Carmela!.
• 1991 - Won: Goya Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (shared with Rafael Azcona) - ¡Ay, Carmela!.
• 2005 - Nominated: Best Director - El 7º día.
• 2006 - Nominated: Best Documentary - Iberia.
• 2008 - Nominated: Best Documentary - Fados.

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

• 1982 - Won: Special Prize of the Jury - Bodas de sangre.
• 2000 - Won: Special Prize for Outstanding Contribution to World Cinema.

Montréal World Film Festival

• 1983 - Won: Most Popular Film of the Festival - Carmen.
• 1986 - Won: Prix Special du Festival for his trilogy (Bodas de sangre, Carmen, El amor brujo), on the occasion of the presentation of El amor brujo.
• 1995 - Won: Grand Prix Special des Amériques ("On the occasion of the centennial of cinema, for his exceptional contribution to the cinematographic art").
• 1997 - Won: Best Director - Pajarico.
• 1997 - Nominated: Grand Prix des Amériques - Pajarico.
• 1999 - Won: Prize of the Ecumenical Jury - Goya en Burdeos.
• 1999 - Won: Best Artistic Contribution - Goya en Burdeos.
• 1999 - Nominated: Grand Prix des Amériques - Goya en Burdeos.
• 2002 - Won: Best Artistic Contribution - Salomé.
• 2002 - Nominated: Grand Prix des Amériques - Salomé.
• 2004 - Won: Best Director - El 7º día.
• 2004 - Nominated: Grand Prix des Amériques - El 7º día.

San Sebastián International Film Festival

• 1958 - Won: Special Mention - Cuenca.
• 1979 - Won: Special Prize of the Jury - Mamá cumple cien años.
• 1996 - Nominated: Golden Seashell - Taxi.
• 2001 - Nominated: Golden Seashell - Buñuel y la mesa del rey Salomón.

Venice Film Festival

• 1968 - Nominated: Golden Lion - Stress-es tres-tres.
• 1984 - Nominated: Golden Lion - Los zancos.
• 1993 - Nominated: Golden Lion - ¡Dispara!.

Other awards and honours

• 1977 - Won: Prix Léon Moussinac - Best Foreign Film at the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics for his film Cría cuervos...
• 1984 - Won: Best European Film at the 1984 Bodil Awards for his film Carmen.
• 1985 - Won: Guild Film Award - Silver: Foreign Film at the Guild of German Art House Cinemas for his film Carmen.
• 1991 - Won: ADIRCAE Award - Best Director for his film ¡Ay, Carmela!.
• 1999 - Won: Jules Verne Award at the Nantes Spanish Film Festival for his film Pajarico.
• 1999 - Won: SDFCS Award - Best Foreign Language Film at the San Diego Film Critics Society Awards for his film Tango.
• 1999 - Won: Lifetime Achievement Award at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival.
• 2002 - Won: Lifetime Achievement Award at the Istanbul International Film Festival.
• 2002 - Won: Special Career Award at the Fantasporto.
• 2007 - Won: International Award at the Barcelona Film Awards.
• 2008 - Won: International Lifetime Achievement Award at the Bombay International Film Festival.
• 2011 - Won: Special Award for Lifetime Achievement at the Fotogramas de Plata.
• 2013 - Won: Lifetime Achievement Award at the International Film Festival of Kerala
• 2015 - Won: Premio Feroz de Honor

Cinema Writers Circle Awards, Spain

• 1970 - Won: CEC Award; Best Director - La madriguera.
• 1977 - Won: CEC Award; Best Director - Cría cuervos...
• 1978 - Won: CEC Award; Best Director - Elisa, vida mía.
• 1984 - Won: CEC Award; Best Director - Carmen.

Sant Jordi Awards

• 1967 - Won: Sant Jordi; Best Film - La caza.
• 1968 - Won: Sant Jordi; Best Film - Peppermint Frappé.
• 1972 - Won: Sant Jordi; Best Film - El jardín de las delicias.
• 1975 - Won: Sant Jordi; Best Film - La prima Angélica.
• 2000 - Won: Sant Jordi; Best Film - Goya en Burdeos.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]