Argentine director and screenwriter Luis Puenzo, who won the country\u2019s first Oscar with dictatorship-tackling feature La historia oficial<\/em>, died on Tuesday at the age of 80.<\/p>\n Puenzo directed the film, which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1986. His death came just a day after the passing of another emblem of Argentina\u2019s cultural scene, Luis Brandoni.<\/p>\n The news was confirmed by the Argentores industry site, which said: \u201cWith deep sorrow, we bid farewell to the outstanding screenwriter, director, producer and member of our organisation, Luis Puenzo, who passed away today in the City of Buenos Aires at the age of 80. From Argentores, we extend our condolences to his family, friends and colleagues at this difficult time.\u201d<\/p>\n The Sociedad General de Autores also confirmed Puenzo\u2019s passing. The director had been out of the public eye for some time with unspecified health problems.<\/p>\n Born in Buenos Aires on February 19, 1946, Puenzo began his professional career in advertising in the 1960s. He later founded his own production company, Luis Puenzo Cine, where he made short films and commercials that helped him develop his narrative style before moving into feature filmmaking.<\/p>\n He made his debut as a director and screenwriter in 1973 with Luces de mis zapatos<\/em>, a children\u2019s film starring Norman Briski. He later co-directed the segment \u2018Cinco a\u00f1os de vida\u2019 in the collective film Las sorpresas<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n International recognition came in 1985 with the release of La historia oficial<\/em>, which he directed and co-wrote with A\u00edda Bortnik. The film tackled the appropriation of children during Argentina\u2019s 1976-1983 military dictatorship.<\/p>\n The feature won multiple awards, most notably the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1986 \u2013 the first Academy Award for Argentine cinema. At the same ceremony, Puenzo and Bortnik were also nominated for Best Original Screenplay.<\/p>\n The film, which starred H\u00e9ctor Alterio and Norma Aleandro, was also honoured at the Cannes Film Festival, won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film and received the Silver Condor from the Argentine Film Critics Association.<\/p>\n Puenzo won the Oscar on March 24 \u2013 an iconic date in Argentina as it marks the beginning of the 1976 coup d’\u00e9tat, something the director emphasised when receiving the statuette at the awards ceremony in the United States.<\/p>\n \u00abAs I stand here on this stage accepting this honour, I cannot help but recall that on another March 24th, 10 years ago today, we suffered the last military coup in our country. We will never forget that nightmare,\u00bb he said.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n After La historia oficial<\/em>, Puenzo continued his career with films including Old Gringo<\/em> (\u201cGringo viejo<\/em>\u201d), an adaptation of the novel by Carlos Fuentes, starring Jane Fonda, Gregory Peck and Jimmy Smits, set during the Mexican Revolution; The Plague<\/em> (\u201cLa peste<\/em>\u201d), based on the novel by Albert Camus and starring William Hurt, Robert Duvall and Ra\u00fal Juli\u00e1; and La puta y la ballena<\/em>, shot between Argentina and Spain and starring Leonardo Sbaraglia and Aitana S\u00e1nchez-Gij\u00f3n.<\/p>\n Beyond his work as a filmmaker, Puenzo played an active role in shaping Argentina\u2019s audiovisual policy.\u00a0<\/p>\n In 1994, he contributed to the drafting of the National Film Law (Law No. 24,377), which established the autonomy and funding structure of the Instituto Nacional de Cine y Artes Audiovisuales (INCAA), giving a major boost to film production.<\/p>\n Puenzo was also a founding member of the Academia de las Artes y Ciencias Cinematogr\u00e1ficas de la Argentina in 2004.\u00a0<\/p>\n Between late 2019 and April 2022, he served as president of the INCAA.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2013 TIMES\/NA<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\nGlobal fame<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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