Valeria Sarmiento facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Valeria Sarmiento
Born	(1948-10-29) 29 October 1948 (age 76) Valparaíso, Chile
Alma mater	University of Chile
Occupation	Film editor, director, screenwriter
Years active	1972–present
Style	Drama, comedy, experimental film
Spouse(s)	Raúl Ruiz ​ ​ (m. 1969; died 2011)​

Valeria Sarmiento (born October 29, 1948) is a talented filmmaker from Chile. She is well-known for her work as a film editor, a director, and a screenwriter. She has created many movies and TV shows in France, Portugal, and her home country.

Valeria has directed 20 feature films, documentaries, and television series. She was married to the Chilean film director Raúl Ruiz until he passed away in 2011. They worked together for many years. She was often his editor and helped write his films. Valeria has also edited films for other famous directors like Luc Moullet and Robert Kramer. She was even given a special award called a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1988.

About Valeria Sarmiento

Valeria Sarmiento was born in Valparaíso, a city in Chile. She first started watching movies when she was just five years old. She learned about the films of famous directors like Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock. It was hard to see French films in Chile back then because of strict rules that limited what people could watch. But when she was twelve, she got to see a French movie called Breathless. She called it a "moment of magic."

Later, Valeria studied film and philosophy at the University of Valparaíso. In 1969, she married filmmaker Raúl Ruiz. In 1974, Valeria and Raúl had to move to Paris, France. This was because of a big political change in Chile in 1973, led by Augusto Pinochet.

As a director, Valeria often makes films about strong female characters. These characters usually face challenges like unfair treatment because of their gender. Her first feature film, Notre mariage (1984), won a big award for Best New Director at the San Sebastián International Film Festival. Her 1991 film Amelia Lópes O'Neill was shown at the 41st Berlin International Film Festival. Also, her historical war movie Lines of Wellington competed for a top award at the 69th Venice International Film Festival.

In May 2008, a special meeting was held at Stanford University to discuss Valeria Sarmiento's films and how they show strong female ideas. In October 2018, the Cinémathèque Française in Paris showed many of her films in a special event.

Valeria Sarmiento's Films

Valeria Sarmiento has worked on many films and TV shows. Here is a list of some of them, showing if she was the director, screenwriter, editor, or an actor.

See also

In Spanish: Valeria Sarmiento para niños