About

Known credits:
57
Birthday:
1940-06-30
Place of birth:
Carranza, Vizcaya, País Vasco, España
Website:
N/A

Víctor Erice

Overview

Víctor Erice Aras (Spanish: [ˈbiɣtoɾ eˈɾiθe]; born 30 June 1940; Karrantza) is a Spanish film director. He is best known for his two feature fiction films, The Spirit of the Beehive (1973), which many regard as one of the greatest Spanish films ever made, and El Sur (1983).

Erice was born in Karrantza, Biscay. He studied law, political science, and economics at the University of Madrid. He also attended the Escuela Oficial de Cinematografia in 1963 to study film direction.

He wrote film criticism and reviews for the Spanish film journal Nuestro Cine, and made a series of short films before making his first feature film, The Spirit of the Beehive (1973), a critical portrait of 1940s rural Spain. Erice was among other filmmakers, such as Luis Buñuel, who lived in “such restricted societies as Franco’s Spain,” to take aim at the authoritarian rule in power. At the time his first film was released in 1973, Francisco Franco was still in power. One of the things The Spirit of the Beehive is known for is its use of symbolism to portray what life was like in Spain under Franco’s rule. Setting the movie in 1940, at the start of Franco’s rule, was a risk for Erice, given that the film “wasn't a propagandist effort in which stalwart Francoists won victories against evil, priest-massacring Republicans.” Ten years later, Erice wrote and directed El Sur (1983), based on a story from Adelaida García Morales, another highly regarded film, although the producer Elías Querejeta only allowed him to film the first two-thirds of the story. His third movie, The Quince Tree Sun (1992) is a documentary about painter Antonio López García. The film won the Jury Prize and the FIPRESCI Prize at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival. In July 2022, thirty years after his last full-length film, a project for a new Erice film (Cerrar los ojos) supported by Pecado Films, Tándem Films, Nautilus as well as Canal Sur was revealed to be in development. The film premiered in the following year at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival and was met with very positive reviews.

He was a member of the jury at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival in May. At the 2014 Locarno Film Festival, Erice was awarded with a Golden Leopard award for lifetime achievement.

Known for

Acting
2018 Wiara Actor Himself N/A
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2011 Don't Expect Too Much Actor Himself 59
Average
2010 Sodankylä Forever Actor Self N/A
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2010 Víctor Erice: Paris-Madrid allers-retours Actor N/A
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2007 Víctor Erice – Abbas Kiarostami: Correspondences Actor himself N/A
N/A
2007 Nuevo / Otro Cine Español - Un Lugar En El Cine Actor 58
Average
2006 La Morte Rouge Actor Self - Narrator 59
Average
2003 Versión Española: Victor Erice Actor Interviewee N/A
N/A
2000 Victor Erice in Madrid Actor Interviewee N/A
N/A
1998 The Footprints of a Spirit Actor Self - Filmmaker 59
Average
1969 Antoñito vuelve a casa Actor 59
Average

Directing
2023 Close Your Eyes Directing Director 60
Fair
2019 Piedra y cielo Directing Director N/A
N/A
2018 Plegaria Directing Director N/A
N/A
2012 Broken Windows Directing Director N/A
N/A
2012 Historic Centre Directing Director 59
Average
2011 3.11 A Sense of Home Directing Director 59
Average
2011 Ana, Three Minutes Directing Director N/A
N/A
2007 Sea-Mail Directing Director 59
Average
2007 Víctor Erice – Abbas Kiarostami: Correspondences Directing Director N/A
N/A
2006 La Morte Rouge Directing Director 59
Average
2005 Arroyo de la luz Directing Director 59
Average
2003 Sketches (1990-2003) Directing Director N/A
N/A
2002 Lifeline Directing Director 59
Average
2002 Ten Minutes Older: The Trumpet Directing Director 59
Average
1996 Celebrate Cinema 101 Directing Director N/A
N/A
1992 Dream of Light Directing Director 59
Average
1983 El Sur Directing Director 62
Fair
1973 The Spirit of the Beehive Directing Director 65
Fair
1969 The Challenges Directing Director 58
Average
1967 Next Fall Directing Assistant Director 58
Average
1963 Los días perdidos Directing Director 59
Average
1962 Between the Tracks Directing Director N/A
N/A
1962 Pages From a Lost Diary Directing Director N/A
N/A
1961 On the Terrace Directing Director N/A
N/A
Memoria y sueño: Sierra de Teruel Directing Director N/A
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Memoria y sueño: El desprecio Directing Director N/A
N/A

Writing
2023 Close Your Eyes Writing Screenstory 60
Fair
2023 Close Your Eyes Writing Screenplay 60
Fair
2012 Historic Centre Writing Screenplay 59
Average
2012 Broken Windows Writing Screenplay N/A
N/A
2007 Víctor Erice – Abbas Kiarostami: Correspondences Writing Writer N/A
N/A
2006 La Morte Rouge Writing Writer 59
Average
2003 Sketches (1990-2003) Writing Writer N/A
N/A
2002 Lifeline Writing Screenplay 59
Average
2002 Ten Minutes Older: The Trumpet Writing Writer 59
Average
1992 Dream of Light Writing Writer 59
Average
1983 El Sur Writing Screenplay 62
Fair
1969 The Challenges Writing Writer 58
Average
1967 Next Fall Writing Writer 58
Average
1967 Oscuros sueños de agosto Writing Writer 58
Average
1963 Los días perdidos Writing Screenplay 59
Average

Production
2023 Close Your Eyes Production Producer 60
Fair
2012 Broken Windows Production Producer N/A
N/A
1960 Tarde de domingo Production Production Manager 59
Average

Camera
2007 Víctor Erice – Abbas Kiarostami: Correspondences Camera Director of Photography N/A
N/A

Editing
2007 Víctor Erice – Abbas Kiarostami: Correspondences Editing Editor N/A
N/A