Writing

Alejandro Amenábar

Born March 31, 1972 · Santiago de Chile, Chile (age 54)

Alejandro Fernando Amenábar Cantos (born 31 March 1972) is a Spanish film director. Amenábar was born in Santiago, Chile to a Spanish mother and Chilean father, but the family moved to Spain just one year after his birth. He studied cinema at Madrid's Universidad Complutense but eventually dropped out. In addition to writing and directing his own films, Amenábar has maintained a notable career as…

Known For

The Others

The Others · 2001

MovieHorrorMystery

Grace is a religious woman who lives in an old house kept dark because her two children, Anne and Nicholas, have a rare sensitivity to light. When the family begins to suspect the house is haunted, Grace fights to protect her children at any cost in the face of strange events and disturbing visions.

Vanilla Sky

Vanilla Sky · 2001

MovieMysteryRomance

David Aames has it all: wealth, good looks and gorgeous women on his arm. But just as he begins falling for the warmhearted Sofia, his face is horribly disfigured in a car accident. That's just the beginning of his troubles as the lines between illusion and reality, between life and death, are blurred.

The Sea Inside

The Sea Inside · 2004

Ramón Sampedro is a ship mechanic and part-time poet left a quadriplegic following a diving accident. Ramón fought for 30 years for the legal right to end his own life. He develops close relationships with his long-term lawyer Julia and his friend Rosa, who tries to convince him that his life is worth living. Despite his situation, Ramón manages to inspire those around him to live life to the fullest.

Open Your Eyes

Open Your Eyes · 1997

MovieDramaThriller

Handsome 25-year-old Cesar had it all -- a successful career, expensive cars, a swank bachelor's pad, and an endless string of beautiful and willing women -- until he is thrown into a strange psychological mystery after a car accident scars his face and lands him in prison.

Thesis

MovieHorrorThriller

While working on a thesis about audiovisual violence, film student Ángela finds a snuff video where a girl is tortured until death. Soon she discovers that she was a former student in her university, and that the authors of the video are not very far either.

Agora

MovieAdventureDrama

A historical drama set in Roman Egypt, concerning philosopher Hypatia of Alexandria and her relationship with her slave Davus, who is torn between his love for her and the possibility of gaining his freedom by joining the rising tide of Christianity.

While at War

While at War · 2019

MovieDramaHistory

Salamanca, Spain, 1936. In the early days of the military rebellion that began the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), writer Miguel de Unamuno supports the uprising in the hope that the prevailing political chaos will end. But when the confrontation becomes bloody, Unamuno must question his initial position.

Regression

Regression · 2015

MovieHorrorMystery

Minnesota, 1990. Detective Bruce Kenner investigates the case of young Angela, who accuses her father, John Gray, of an unspeakable crime. When John unexpectedly and without recollection admits guilt, renowned psychologist Dr. Raines is brought in to help him relive his memories and what they discover unmasks a horrifying nationwide mystery.

Filmography

Sort

The Others

The Others · 2001

MovieHorrorMystery

Grace is a religious woman who lives in an old house kept dark because her two children, Anne and Nicholas, have a rare sensitivity to light. When the family begins to suspect the house is haunted, Grace fights to protect her children at any cost in the face of strange events and disturbing visions.

Original Music Composer

Vanilla Sky

Vanilla Sky · 2001

MovieMysteryRomance

David Aames has it all: wealth, good looks and gorgeous women on his arm. But just as he begins falling for the warmhearted Sofia, his face is horribly disfigured in a car accident. That's just the beginning of his troubles as the lines between illusion and reality, between life and death, are blurred.

Original Film Writer

The Sea Inside

The Sea Inside · 2004

Ramón Sampedro is a ship mechanic and part-time poet left a quadriplegic following a diving accident. Ramón fought for 30 years for the legal right to end his own life. He develops close relationships with his long-term lawyer Julia and his friend Rosa, who tries to convince him that his life is worth living. Despite his situation, Ramón manages to inspire those around him to live life to the fullest.

Producer

Open Your Eyes

Open Your Eyes · 1997

MovieDramaThriller

Handsome 25-year-old Cesar had it all -- a successful career, expensive cars, a swank bachelor's pad, and an endless string of beautiful and willing women -- until he is thrown into a strange psychological mystery after a car accident scars his face and lands him in prison.

Screenplay

Thesis

MovieHorrorThriller

While working on a thesis about audiovisual violence, film student Ángela finds a snuff video where a girl is tortured until death. Soon she discovers that she was a former student in her university, and that the authors of the video are not very far either.

Screenplay

Agora

MovieAdventureDrama

A historical drama set in Roman Egypt, concerning philosopher Hypatia of Alexandria and her relationship with her slave Davus, who is torn between his love for her and the possibility of gaining his freedom by joining the rising tide of Christianity.

Director

While at War

While at War · 2019

MovieDramaHistory

Salamanca, Spain, 1936. In the early days of the military rebellion that began the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), writer Miguel de Unamuno supports the uprising in the hope that the prevailing political chaos will end. But when the confrontation becomes bloody, Unamuno must question his initial position.

Director

Regression

Regression · 2015

MovieHorrorMystery

Minnesota, 1990. Detective Bruce Kenner investigates the case of young Angela, who accuses her father, John Gray, of an unspeakable crime. When John unexpectedly and without recollection admits guilt, renowned psychologist Dr. Raines is brought in to help him relive his memories and what they discover unmasks a horrifying nationwide mystery.

Screenplay

The Captive

The Captive · 2025

MovieDramaHistory

In 1575, the young soldier Miguel de Cervantes is captured on the high seas by Barbary pirates and taken to Algiers as a hostage. Aware that a cruel death awaits him if his family does not pay his ransom soon, he finds refuge in his passion for storytelling.

Director

Misión imposible, no... lo siguiente

Misión imposible, no... lo siguiente · 2026

Misión imposible, no... lo siguiente

A short film with which the Spanish television program El Hormiguero begins its season.

Spanish Movie

Spanish Movie · 2009

Large doses of humor, ingenious nods to Spain's most recent national cinema, an artistic cast highly linked to comedy and a high reserve of surprises constitute the ingredients of this crazy comedy: Spanish Movie.

Reflejo espejo

Butterfly

Butterfly · 1999

The film centres on Moncho and his coming-of-age experience in Galicia in 1936. Moncho develops a close relationship with his teacher Don Gregorio who introduces the boy to different things in the world. While the story centres on Moncho's ordinary coming-of-age experiences, tensions related to the looming Spanish Civil War periodically interrupt Moncho's personal growth and daily life.

Music

Nobody Knows Anybody

Nobody Knows Anybody · 1999

Nobody Knows Anybody

Simón is an aspiring novelist who makes a living designing crossword puzzles for a newspaper. One day he receives a threatening message instructing him to include the word "adversary" in a puzzle as Seville gets hit by a series of violent attacks.

Original Music Composer

Cousinhood

Cousinhood · 2011

Three cousins travel to the village where they spent summer vacations as kids.

Thanks

Spectre

Spectre · 2006

MovieDramaHorror

After the sudden death of his wife, Tomás, a successful elderly writer who has been out of Spain during the last forty years, unexpectedly receives an old tarot card which seems to have for him a disturbing meaning, so he decides to return to the small village where he grew up.

Man Looking at Statue (uncredited)

Allanamiento de morada

Allanamiento de morada · 1998

Allanamiento de morada

Two salesmen arrive at an old woman's house to offer her a great deal.

Music

Luna

A young man hitchhikes on a full-moon night and a young woman picks him up. The woman is a little crazy and gets angry. She takes a gun and shoots him. Next night she picks up another hitchhiker.

Original Music Composer

Himenóptero

Himenóptero · 1992

A group of students around 18 years old gather at a high school to make a horror short film. The lead actress in the supposed short film is not motivated enough, so the director, who is quite harsh, decides to take advantage of the psychopathic traits of the boy operating the camera, who seems obsessed with the actress.

Director

La Fortuna

La Fortuna · 2021

SeriesDramaAction & Adventure

Young diplomat Álex Ventura teams with a combative public official and a brilliant American lawyer to recover treasure stolen by Frank Wild, who travels the world plundering historic items from the ocean.

Director