Filmmaker Ventura Pons dies at 78

The Catalan filmmaker Ventura Pons, author of films such as 'Carícies', 'Idiot Love' and 'Amic/Amat', died this Monday in Barcelona at the age of 78.

Born in Barcelona in 1945, Pons began his professional career in the theater field, where he directed around twenty shows with great success, soon becoming one of the most prestigious directors on the Catalan scene for more than a decade.

In 1985 he created the production company The Rambla Films, with which he has produced 19 of his feature films.

With thirty films, Pons was, in addition to director, producer and screenwriter and, without a doubt, a key figure in the promotion of Catalan cinema. The Minister of Culture of the Generalitat, Natalia Garriga, highlighted that “the country loses a great filmmaker, an undisputed reference in Catalan audiovisuals and a tireless worker of culture and language”,

Between numerous awards He received the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts in 2001, the Creu de Sant Jordi in 2007 and the Gaudí d'Honor award in 2015.

Throughout his career he has been nominated for the Goya for Best Adapted Screenplay on four occasions, for The reason for it all, Actresses, Anita doesn't miss the train y Barcelona (a map). In his long filmography, works such as Petting (1998), Friend/Beloved (1999), Year of Grace (2011), Tail, tail, tail (2015) o ¡Be Happy! (2018), his latest film.