Arauco Hernández Holz
Mayor in Media Studies; he spent a semester at the Instituto de Estudios
Superiores de Occidente (ITESO) in Guadalajara, Mexico, and he also studied in
the Visual Arts Center in that city.
He also assisted to the Cinematography workshops at the Film School in San
Antonio de los Baños, Cuba.
Back in Uruguay, he taught filmmaking workshops and worked in advertising as a
cameraman and cinematographer.
In 2002, he directed the short film "Perro Perdido" (16’, 16mm
B&W) that won the "Innovation Award" in Clermont-Ferrand, France,
the oldest and most prestigious short film festival in the world. "Perro
Perdido” also got the prize Casa de América "Best New Director"
at Huesca International Film Festival, in Spain.
That year he received the Fulbright Scholarship to continue his education in
the States. In April 2003, Columbia University awarded him with the Dean’s
scholarship, -the most important grant provided by that institution. In
Columbia he switch masters from Directing to Screenwriting.
During his years in New York he worked as Director of Photography in Film and
Advertising till he returned to Uruguay in the late 2006.
Since then, he has worked as Director of Photography in over a dozen feature
films: Gigant (Adrian Biniez), Hiroshima (Paul Stoll), La Vida Útil (Federico
Veiroj) El Lugar del Hijo (Manuel Nieto), El Apóstata (Federico Veiroj), among
others.
He’s been awarded two times as “Best Cinematography on a Uruguayan film” by the
Uruguay Critic’s Association; he’s been nominated to the Condor Awards
"Best Cinematography in a Latin American film" by Argentina’s Critic
Association for his work in "Giant" and he has won the “Coral Prize
Best Cinematography" for his work on "El Lugar del Hijo" in La
Havana International Film Festival, Cuba.
He has also directed the short films, “Manwoman" (8min, Color), “Fitness
by Michael” (12min, Color); the documentary “Rumor” (54min. Color) and the
feature film “Los Enemigos del Dolor” (80min. Color), premiered in competition
at Locarno International Film Festival, Switzerland.