Nathalie Álvarez Mesén | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Nathalie Álvarez Mesén in 2021 | |
| Born | (1988-01-15)January 15, 1988 (age 37) |
| Education | Stockholm University of the Arts (BFA) Columbia University (MFA) |
| Occupation | Director |
| Notable work | Clara Sola |
| Awards | Guldbagge Award for Best Director (2022) Guldbagge Award for Best Screenplay (2022) |
Nathalie Álvarez Mesén (born January 15, 1988) is a Costa Rican-Swedish director. She won theGuldbagge Award for Best Director andGuldbagge Award for Best Screenplay for her 2021 filmClara Sola.[1][2]
Álvarez Mesén was born in Sweden, where her parents met. Her mother was born in Costa Rica, studied in Russia, and then went to Sweden, where she met a man from Uruguay. Nathalie moved to Costa Rica when she was seven and attended high school there, then returned to Sweden for university.[3]
Álvarez Mesén began her career in stage acting in Costa Rica before pursuing a BFA inmime acting at theStockholm University of the Arts. She later earned her MFA from theColumbia University School of the Arts.[1] She is also an alumna of theBerlinale Talents and theToronto International Film Festival Talent Lab.[4][5]
Álvarez Mesén's short,Filip (2015), was awarded best live-action film under 15 minutes at the 2016Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films.[6] Her short,Asunder (2015), premiered at the 2015Stockholm International Film Festival and screened during the 2016Telluride Film Festival, where it was curated byBarry Jenkins as part of the "Calling Cards" program.[7] She also co-wrote the short filmEntre Tu y Milagros (2020), which won theOrizzonti Award for Best Short Film at theVenice Film Festival.[8]
In 2022, Álvarez Mesén received theGuldbagge Award for Best Director and Best Screenplay for her debut,Clara Sola, a film set in Costa Rica about a 42-year-old woman who sets off on a journey to break free from socioreligious conventions and assert her sexuality.[2][9] The movie was nominated for aPlatino Award for Best First Feature Film and was Costa Rica's selection for theAcademy Award for Best International Feature Film.
