About the Event

Join us for an evening with Academy Award–winning filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar, director of such groundbreaking and provocative films as Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, The Flower of My Secret, All About My Mother, Talk to Her, Bad Education, Volver and, most recently, The Skin I Live In. Following a welcome and introduction by Dean Elizabeth Daley of the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Almodóvar will engage in a conversation about his life and his life’s work.

About Pedro Almodóvar

Almodóvar was born in Calzada de Calatrava, Spain, in the 1950s. At 17, he moved to Madrid to study cinema and direct films. He was unable to enroll in the Official Film School because it had just been closed by Spain’s Head of State, Francisco Franco. Despite the suffering caused by Franco’s dictatorship, for the young Almodóvar, Madrid represented culture, independence and freedom. He worked at many sporadic jobs but couldn’t buy his first Super-8mm camera until he got a “serious” job at the National Telephone Company of Spain in 1971. He worked there for twelve years as an administrative assistant. He shared this job in the mornings with other activities that provided his real training as a filmmaker and as a person.

Almodóvar’s films are the heirs and witnesses of the newly born Spanish democracy. In 1986, he founded the production company El Deseo S.A. with his brother Agustín. Their first project was Law of Desire. In 1988, he received international recognition with .Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. Since then, his films have opened all around the world. With All About My Mother (1999), he won his first Academy Award for Best Foreign Film and also the Golden Globe, the César, three European Film Awards, the David de Donatello, two BAFTAs, seven Goyas and 45 other awards. Three years later, Talk to Her had the same or better fortune (Academy Award for Best Script, five European Film Awards, two BAFTAs, the Nastro de Argento, the César and many other awards throughout the world). In 2004, Bad Education was selected to open the Cannes Film Festival and received extraordinary reviews. In 2006, Volver received the Best Screenplay Award at the Cannes Film Festival, the Best Actress Award for the six actresses of the film, led by Penélope Cruz, who was also nominated for an Academy Award. His newest film, The Skin I Live In, starring Antonio Banderas and Elena Anaya, is currently in theatres and receiving rave reviews.

About Visions and Voices: The USC Arts & Humanities Initiative

Visions and Voices is a university-wide arts and humanities initiative that is unparalleled in higher education. The initiative was established by USC President C. L. Max Nikias during his tenure as provost in order to fulfill the goals set forth in USC's strategic plan; to communicate USC's core values to students; and to affirm the human spirit. Emphasizing the university's commitment to interdisciplinary approaches, the initiative features a spectacular array of events conceived and organized by faculty and schools throughout the university. The series includes theatrical productions, music and dance performances, conferences, lectures, film screenings and many other special events both on and off campus. Each program invites students to dialogue and interact with artists, writers, professors and special guests. These interactions provide a dynamic experience of the arts and humanities and encourage active exploration of USC's core values, including freedom of inquiry and expression, team spirit, appreciation of diversity, commitment to serving one's community, entrepreneurial spirit, informed risk-taking, ethical conduct and the search for truth.

For more information, visit www.usc.edu/visionsandvoices

Contact Information

Email: visionsandvoices@usc.edu