Arturo Ripstein

Arturo Ripstein y Rosen (born December 13, 1943) is a Mexican film director and screenwriter. Considered the "Godfather of independent Mexican cinema", Riptein's work is generally characterized by "somber, slow-paced, macabre melodramas tackling existential loneliness", often with a grotesque-like edge.He is a nine-time Ariel Award winner, including five for Best Picture and two for Best Director. Three of his films have been nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. In 1997, he received the prestigious National Prize for Arts and Sciences for his contributions to Mexican cinema. He was only the second filmmaker (after Luis Buñuel) to have received the honor.

Ripstein is married to screenwriter Paz Alicia Garciadiego, with whom he has two children. In 2003, the two received honorary Spanish citizenship.

Of Polish Jewish descent, Ripstein was born in Mexico City on 13 December 1943, to producer Alfredo Ripstein. He developed an interest in filmmaking from a young age due to his family's proximity, and made short films as a teenager. He met Luis Buñuel after seeing Nazarín, and they developed a close mentor-student relationship that lasted until Bunuel's death.