Andrés Wood

Andrés Wood
Andrés Wood
	Andrés Wood
Born	1965 (age 58–59); Santiago, Chile
Alma mater	Pontifical Catholic University of Chile
Occupation(s)	Film director, Producer, Screen-writer
Years active	1994 – present

Andres Wood (born in 1965) is a Chilean film director, producer and writer. Some of his most popular films include Machuca, Violeta se fue a los cielos, and Historias de Futbol. He created his own production company known as Wood Producciones in 1993.^[1]

Early life and education

Born in Santiago, Chile, Wood is a Chilean of Irish and Scottish descent. He grew up in a middle-class home and credits much of his artistic influence to his childhood in Chile based on the political climate of the country, specifically with the Pinochet dictatorship. Wood's father worked as an architect while his mother taught kindergarten.^[2] Both of his parents were conservative and favored an end to the Allende government.^[3] However, Wood had the opportunity to study at elite but progressive institutions throughout his life.^[4]

Andres Wood studied in Santiago, Chile at Saint George’s College for high school. He graduated as an economist from the Catholic Pontifical university of Chile in 1988. In 1991 he attended New York University to study film production.

Career

While most of his work is focused on film, Andres Wood is also responsible for producing the most popular television series in Chile called "Los 80" (Wood Producciones).^[5] In addition, Andres Wood’s most recent project involves directing a miniseries based on Human Rights lawyer, Carmen Hertz, titled “Ecos Del Desierto."^[6] The film is a part of the special programming marking the 40th anniversary of the military takeover in Chile during the 1970s. “Ecos del Desierto” is the most expensive project in Chile costing $200 thousand per episode.^[7]

Cinema production in Chile is still dependent on production companies overseas.^[8] Many of Wood's projects are productions with international entities. His primary concern is keeping the films' authenticitys.^[9] Wood is part of the post-dictatorship generation whose filmmakers are concerned with highlighting the impact that the Pinochet dictatorship between 1973 and 1989 had on Chilean society and how society can "work through" the trauma by reliving it on the screen.^[10]

Influence

Wood has always been a film lover and got in love with the process of making a film.^[11] Wood describes his artistic process as the following: “First I get in love with the characters, then with small anecdotes and at the end something like the context. I do believe that film has to be very personal." Moreover, Wood believes that cinema can help to create discussion and with that, changes in society.^[12] Machuca, Andres Wood’s most successful film by high box office sales and international recognition,^[13] takes place during the 1970s and is based on his own experiences at Saint George’s College. The film exemplifies the Pinochet dictatorship’s influence on his films. When asked about the recurring political theme dealing with the Pinochet dictatorship in his projects, Andres Wood explained:

The dictatorship affected all of society in different ways. Some people were politically affected, others were affected because they were not aware of what was happening, others were in favor, others against, some were victims, some were murderers. Everyone was affected due to economic changes (for good and bad). It is impossible to do a film that doesn’t have some footprint of the dictatorship.^[14]

Andres Wood’s Machuca was named one of the Top 20 Latin American films and as a result, some believe this places him as one of the greatest Latin American directors of his generation.^[15]