Juan Carlos Tabío facts for kids

Juan Carlos Tabío (born September 3, 1943 – died January 18, 2021) was a famous film director and screenwriter from Cuba. He was known for making movies that often mixed humor with important messages about Cuban life.

One of his most famous films was Strawberry and Chocolate (1994). He directed this movie with his friend Tomás Gutiérrez Alea. It won a special award called the Silver Bear - Special Jury Prize at the 44th Berlin International Film Festival. It was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, which is a very big honor!

Juan Carlos Tabío often worked with Tomás Gutiérrez Alea and actors like Jorge Perugorría, Vladimir Cruz, and Mirta Ibarra. His 2000 film, Lista de Espera (Waiting List), was shown at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival.

About Juan Carlos Tabío

Juan Carlos Tabío was born in 1943 in Havana, Cuba. Even though he became a very successful filmmaker, he didn't plan to work in movies at first. When he was young, his parents wanted him to have a career in politics.

But then, a family friend who worked for Cuba's national film society invited him to help with a movie. This made Tabío think about filmmaking as a possible job.

Juan Carlos Tabío started working in 1961 at the ICAIC (Cuban Institute of Art and Cinematographic Industry). He began as a production assistant and later became an assistant director.

Between 1963 and 1980, he made more than 30 short films that showed real life, called documentaries. His first full-length movie, Se Swap, came out in 1983. Tabío also taught others how to write movie scripts and direct films. He taught at the International School of Film and Television in San Antonio de los Baños from 1989 to 1990.

Tabío's movies are mostly comedies. They often feature the people and places of Cuba. He used Cuba itself almost like a character in his films. This allowed him to show the fun parts of Cuban culture. At the same time, he would also use humor to talk about some of the problems Cuba faced.

Juan Carlos Tabío received many awards for his work. He won a Goya Awards for Best Foreign Language Film for Fresa y Chocolate (Strawberry and Chocolate).

In 2000, he directed The Waiting List. This movie tells a funny story about people waiting for a bus that never arrives. Tabío used humor and realistic conversations to make his social messages easier to understand. His last movie, The Cornucopia, also showed his talent for funny, satirical comedies.

Films Directed by Tabío

• 2012 7 days in Havana
• 2008 Horn of Plenty
• 2003 Aunque estés lejos
• 2000 Lista de Espera (Waiting List)
• 1998 Enredando sombras (documentary)
• 1998 Lorca en La Habana (TV short)
• 1995 Guantanamera
• 1994 El elefante y la bicicleta
• 1993 Fresa y Chocolate (Strawberry and Chocolate)
• 1988 Demasiado miedo a la vida o Plaff
• 1987 La entrevista (short)
• 1986 Dolly back (short)
• 1984 Se permuta
• 1975 Sonia Silvestre (short)
• 1974 Chicho Ibáñez (documentary short)
• 1974 Soledad Bravo (documentary short)
• 1973 Miriam Makeba (short)

See also

In Spanish: Juan Carlos Tabío para niños