Council Biography

Writer-director Gregory Nava recently signed an unprecedented studio deal with New Line Cinema for his newly founded company, El Norte Productions, to produce and direct Latino-themed movies. Currently, El Norte Productions has a slate of films in development, including Bordertown, with Jennifer Lopez starring as a reporter investigating the murders of young women along the Juarez/El Paso border.

In addition, under his El Norte banner, Nava recently served as a writer, director and executive producer for American Family, CBS's one-hour family drama. The television pilot boasts an all-star Latino cast that includes Edward James Olmos, Constance Marie, Esai Morales, Ranchel Welch and Sonia Braga.

Nava first garnered Hollywood's attention in 1984 with his classic film, El Norte. A collaboration with his wife, Anna Thomas, El Norte is the moving account of a young brother and sister from Guatemala who enter the United States illegally to work. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and received numerous international film awards. In 1996, it was named an "American Classic" and designated for special preservation by the Library of Congress. El Norte will be re-released in the fall of 2000 by Artisan Entertainment.

Gregory Nava's last film, Why Do Fools Fall in Love, is based on the life of Frankie Lymon, who was the lead singer for the Õ50s rock ÔnÕ roll sensation The Teenagers. The film starred Larenz Tate, Vivica A. Fox, Halle Barry and Lela Rochon.

Nava also wrote and directed the film Selena, based on the true story of the slain Tejano music singer, who was on the verge of an English language crossover when she was killed at the age of 23. Selena starred Jennifer Lopez and Edward James Olmos.

In 1995 Gregory directed and co-wrote the multi-generational saga, My Family/Mi Familia, starring Jimmy Smits, Edward James Olmos, and Jennifer Lopez. The film premiered at the Sundance Festival and went on to become both a critical and financial success.

Nava's other films include the 1987 feature film A Time of Destiny, starring William Hurt and Timothy Hutton, and the Showtime networkÕs 1999 documentary, American Tapestry.

Gregory Nava was born in San Diego, California and attended film school at UCLA, where he made his first half-hour dramatic film based on the life of Garcia Lorca, titled, The Journey of Diego Rodriguez Silva. This short film earned Nava the Best Dramatic Film Award at the National Student Film Festival. In 1976, his first feature, The Confession of Amans, won the Best First Feature Award at the Chicago International Film Festival.

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