Andres Vicente Gomez

Saturday, September 1--------The Montreal World Film Festival is honoring one of Europe's most prolific and dynamic film producers in a special tribute to Spanish producer Andres Vicente Gomez. He has been in force in Spanish cinema for almost 25 years, having produced some of Spain's best known film exports. Born in Madrid in 1943, he first became involved in film in the 1960s as a distributor, importing many European films at a time when the Franco regime still held a tight grip on the cultural life of his country. Because of his efforts, the films of Keaton, Chaplin, Kurosawa, Chabrol, Bertolucci, Resnais and Truffaut were able to be seen in Spain.

After Franco's death, Spain had a creative surge of its own in terms of filmmaking, with such talents as Pedro Almodovar, Fernado Trueba, Bigas Luna, Carlos Saura and others coming to international prominence. Gomez increasingly moved into the ranks of production, playing a dynamic role in this film renaissance. With his first significant film, THE WOLF AND THE DOVE (1974), he embarked on a prolific career as Spain's number one producer. "In the celluloid universe, there are producers who love cnema as much as they love risk", director Carlos Saura has said of his longtime producing partner. "Andres is like one of those legendary adventurer who conquers new lands, crossing suring rivers and climbing the highest mountains. He has sold his soul to the cinema."

Among his best known films: AY CARMELA (1990), JAMON, JAMON (1992), EL DIA DE LA BESTIA (1995), LA CELESTINA (1996), goya en burdeos (19999), EL EMBRUJO DE SHANGHAI (2002), EL SEPTIMO DIA (2004) and his most recent TERESA, EL CUERPO DE CRISTO. In 1993, BELLE EPOQUE, a visually sumptuous historic film by Fernando Trueba, won the Academy Award as Best Foreign Film and became an international sensation. At age 65, Gomez remains committed to Spanish and European cinema, and currently is chairman of the European Union's Media Business School and a founding member of the Paris-based think tank Le Club des Producteurs Europeens. In 2003, he was elected president of FIAPF, the international federation of film producers associations that regulates the world of international film festivals. As a producer, industry leader and visionary, Andres Vicente Gomez has made a significant contribution to the vitality of Spanish and European cinema, and continues to do so. He will receive a special award at the closing ceremonies of the Montreal World Film Festival this weekend.

Sandy Mandelberger, Montreal World FF Dailies Editor