Ventura Pons (1945-2024) was a Catalan scriptwriter, stage and film director and producer renowned for his prolific career. Born in Barcelona, he began his artistic journey in the 1960s when he spent extensive periods of time in London. In 1978, he made his film debut with the documentary “Ocaña, an Intermittent Portrait”, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. His “Actresses” (1997) was showcased at the 1997 Stockholm International Film Festival. The 2001 “Anita no pierde el tren” garnered attention at various film festivals. “Food of Love” (2002) received the Best Music Award at the Barcelona Film Festival. Throughout his career, Pons directed 32 feature films, many of which were in Catalan, and produced an additional 30 through his production company, Els Films de la Rambla, founded in 1985. His films were regularly featured in prestigious international festivals, including the Berlinale, where he achieved five consecutive appearances and received numerous accolades. He was vice-president of the Spanish Film Academy and has been honoured with retrospectives at major institutions like London's ICA and New York's Lincoln Center.
Filmography:
(Valik/Selected): Ocaña, retrat intermittent (1978, doc), La rossa del bar (1986), Actrius (1997), Morir (o no) (2000), El gran Gato (2003, doc), Forasters (2008), El virus de la por (2015), Miss Dalí (2018)