Fernando Rodríguez Trueba is a Spanish producer, director, screenwriter and writer. He started his career as a film critic, writing for El Pais between 1974 and 1979. The following year he started the film magazine Casablanca, working as the head editor for two years. His filmmaking career began in the mid-seventies when he started making short films. He directed his first feature-length film Ópera prima in 1980. Two years later, he made Mientras el cuerpo aguante (1982), the first of his many documentaries about music and musicians (Calle 54, 2000, Blanco y Negro, 2003, El milagro de Candeal, 2004). His second feature film Coarse Salt (Sal Gorda) was made in 1984, followed by Move Over Mrs. Markham (Sé Infiel y No Mires con Quién, 1985) and Year of Enlightenment (El año de las luces, 1986), which attracted large audiences. He directed The Mad Monkey (El sueño del mono loco, 1989), a film in English, casting Jeff Goldblum and Miranda Richardson, which brought him his first Goya Award for Best Director and Best Film (also for best adapted script, editing and photography) in 1990. With Penélope Cruz in the lead role, he directed the romantic drama The Age of Beauty (Belle Epoque, 1992), which received nine Goya Awards (Best Film, Script, Director, Leading Female, Editing, Photography....) in 1993. He earned an Oscar Award for Best Foreign Film in 1994, and a BAFTA in the same category in 1995. Following that, he tried his luck in Hollywood, where he directed the comedy Two Much (1995). The film was not a success so he returned to Spain where he continued his collaboration with Penelope Cruz in The Girl of your Dreams (La niña de tus ojos, 1998). This was followed by The Shanghai Spell (El Embrujo de Shanghai, 2002), The Dancer and the Thief (El baile de la Victoria, 2009), and together with Javier Mariscal and Tono Errando he co-directed the animated feature-length musical Chico and Rita (2010). His latest film is The Artist and the Model (El Artista y la Modelo, 2012).