Enrique Gabriel

Born in Buenos Aires in 1957, Enrique Gabriel studied literature in Paris and later worked as a movie-maker in Spain. First an assistant-director, he got into filmmaking as of 1991 with Krapatchouk (1992), which earned him awards at the Verone, Karlovy Vary and Punta del Este International Film Festivals. In 1994, he founded his own production company, A.T.P.I.P. Another festival favorite was his next film, Hitting Bottom (1997) (Putain de rue), a humorous account of life in the streets, a nice mix of naturalism and heartfelt humanity. His next effort was the sensitive Wiped-Out Footprints (1999) dealing with the tragedy of a village about to be flooded by a reservoir. After a seven year hiatus, Enrique was back with an apparently lighter work, Suspiros del corazón (2006), but this modern Don Quixote tale is more profound than it seems to be.