Patricia Ortega Explained

Patricia Ortega
Birth Place:Maracaibo, Venezuela
Alma Mater:Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión
Yearsactive:2004–present

Patricia Ortega (Venezuelan pronounced as /es/, born 1977) is a Venezuelan film director. She has won multiple accolades, particularly for her 2018 film Being Impossible.

Early life

Ortega says that she has been a movie lover since she was young, and so the decision to become a filmmaker was natural. She has studied journalism at university.[1]

Career

Ortega studied at the Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión in Cuba, specialising in Film Direction.

After creating some short films, Ortega became president of the independent Venezuelan production company Mandrágora Films in 2009. In the next ten years, she made ten short fiction and documentary films with the company; in 2013 she directed her first feature film, El regreso (English: The Return), which saw a wide commercial release in cinemas across Venezuela.

Her second feature film, Being Impossible (Spanish: Yo, imposible), however, did well internationally and has yet to be released in her home nation. Ortega has drawn strength from Being Impossible during times of both personal and political upheaval. She found out that Being Impossible would be screening at the US film festival South by Southwest on the same day that Juan Guaidó was declared Acting President of Venezuela; she found the news of the screening "beautiful", but this was overwhelmed by the political situation that "worried" her. Ortega won the Best Director and Best Screenplay awards at the Venezuelan Film Festival in June 2019 for Being Impossible.

In 2019, she began development of her third feature film, Mamacruz.[2]

Personal life

Ortega was raised in a religious Catholic family, and says that she was always the black sheep of the family who did not follow traditional roles. She is divorced,[3] and has lived in Porlamar on the Venezuelan Caribbean island of Margarita since January 2019.[4]

Filmography

Awards and nominations

scope=colYearscope=colEventscope=colAwardscope=colWorkscope=colResultclass=unsortable scope=col
2013Festival Entre Largos y Cortos de Oriente (ELCO)Best First FeatureThe Return[6]
2014Margarita Latin American and Caribbean Film FestivalGolden Pelican for Best Fiction Film[7]
2018Havana Film FestivalUnete AwardBeing Impossible
Valladolid International Film FestivalRainbow Spike Award[8]
2019Femme Revolution Film FestBest Construction of a Female Character
Amsterdam LGBTI Film FestivalBest Mix Feature Audience Award
Reflections of Spanish and Latin American Cinema FestivalAudience Award
South by SouthwestGamechanger Award[9]
Venezuelan Film FestivalBest Director[10]
Best Screenplay (with Enmanuel Chávez)
Houston International LGBTQ Film FestivalBest Script (with Enmanuel Chávez)[11]
2020Platino AwardsBest Director[12]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: SXSW 2019 Women Directors: Meet Patricia Ortega – 'Being Impossible'. Women and Hollywood. Stewart, Sophia. 7 March 2019. 23 June 2019.
  2. Web site: Yo Imposible: About the Filmmakers. Indie Pasión. 23 June 2019.
  3. Web site: Patricia Ortega Talks About Her Second Feature, Being Impossible – SXSW Filmmaker In Focus. South by Southwest. Aziz, Neha. 18 February 2019. 23 June 2019.
  4. Web site: Patricia Ortega: "Mi película 'Yo, imposible' vuela por el mundo". Panorama. Spanish. Gutiérrez, Julio. 11 April 2019. 23 June 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190623032417/https://www.panorama.com.ve/experienciapanorama/Patricia-Ortega-Mi-pelicula-Yo-imposible-vuela-por-el-mundo--20190411-0092.html. 23 June 2019. dead.
  5. Web site: 'Mamacruz': Sundance Review. ScreenDaily. 21 January 2023. Jonathan. Holland.
  6. News: El regreso se llevó el galardón a Mejor Largometraje Ópera Prima en ELCO 2013. The Return Wins Best First Feature at ELCO 2013. Correo del Orinoco. Caracas. 33. Spanish. 22 September 2013. 22 July 2018. issuu.
  7. News: El Regreso gana premio Pelícano de Oro en Margarita. The Return Wins Golden Pelican at Margarita . Silanny. Pulgar. La Verdad. Maracaibo. Spanish. 19 October 2013. 22 July 2018.
  8. Web site: Yo, imposible Awards. MUBI. 23 June 2019.
  9. Web site: Being Impossible. Australian Centre for the Moving Image. 23 June 2019.
  10. Web site: CINE / 15° Festival del Cine Venezolano: Premios Para Una Producción Que Resiste. CCNES Noticias. 21 June 2019. 23 June 2019.
  11. Web site: Yo Imposible. www.facebook.com. en. 27 August 2019.
  12. Web site: Los VII Premios Platino van en México. RD ha presentado al menos 11 filmes. 2020-01-11. DiarioDigitalRD. es. 2020-01-16.