Biography

Jorge Michel Grau obtains a B.A. in Communication from the National Autonomous University of Mexico from 1994-1998 and then graduates with honors in Film Direction from the Centro de Capacitacion Cinematografica (CCC); in his professional career he has started as a producer of documentaries and cultural and educational television programs. Jorge has participated as a production manager on several films produced by the Mexican Film Institute, the CCC as well as independent productions. In 2004 he specializes in film direction at the Escola Superior de Cinema I Audivisuals de Catalunya (ESCAC) at Barcelona, Spain. He receives a scholarship from FONCA (National Fund for Culture and Arts) in support program for overseas studies and in 2009 he receives funding for a film project. In 2005 he studied Stage Direction at the National University Theatre School (CUT) with Raul Quintanilla and Art Direction with professor Alejandro Luna at the CCC. As a film director he has worked on short films from 2003 to 2007. He debuts as a feature film director with the film "Somos lo que hay" aka "We are what we are", selected to compete at the 42th Director's Fortnight (Quinzaine des Realisateurs) at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010 in Official Selection for the Camara D'or, and at 48th New York Film Festival 2010. The film has received the Silver Hugo Special Jury Prize for the international feature competition at the Chicago International Film festival, Sequense Prize at the Fantasia International Film Festival, Montreal; Best Picture and Script Next Wave at the Fantastic Fest, Austin. He was selected to participated at the Young Producer's Lab a the Morelia International Film Festival and for the Visionary Talent Campus (organized by the Berlin Film Festival) at the Guadalajara International Film Festival in March, 2008. He is a professor of Production, Assistant Direction and Set Logistics at the Centro de Capacitacion Cinematografica (CCC), as well as an advisor of thesis projects. He also teaches Film Produciton at the Extracurricular Program at the Political and Social Sciences Faculty of the National Autonomous University (UNAM), as well as Film Direction at KMZ Workshops. He published the article: "Un pays pris en otage par l'insecurite" in the "Le Monde Magazine, Special Cinema" in France, during the Cannes Film Festival 2010.