Javier Aguirre (director)


Javier Aguirre Fernández was a Spanish film director, writer and producer.

Biography and career

Aguirre was born in Donostia-San Sebastián in Spain. He started his work as a director in 1961, and had a prolific career, directing 45 feature films, 10 short films, 2 documentaries, and 25 documentary shorts. Aguirre also wrote and produced most of his films.
Aguirre developed an interest in film at an early age. When he was a teenager, he started collaborating for entertainment magazines like Radiocinema, Film Ideal, and others. In 1955, when he was around 20 years old, he founded and directed the San Sebastián Film Club. From 1956 to 1957, Aguirre organized film courses and film festivals. During those years, he also studied at the Instituto de Investigaciones y Experiencias Cinematográficas. He worked as an assistant director until he started directing his own short films in the 1960s.
In 1961, Aguirre directed a documentary short titled Pasajes tres, which received the Golden Shell at the San Sebastián International Film Festival.

Personal life

Aguirre was married to actress Enriqueta Carballeira from 1966 to 1977. The couple had a daughter, Arantxa Aguirre, who also works as a director. Javier was married to actress Esperanza Roy when he died.

Death

Aguirre died on December 4, 2019 in Madrid.

Filmography