Pablo Berger Uranga (born 1963) is a Spanish film director and screenwriter. He is known for directing and writing the silent drama film Blancanieves (2012), the black comedy films Torremolinos 73 (2003) and Abracadabra (2017), and the animated tragicomedy film Robot Dreams (2023), the latter was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Life and work Berger attended primary and secondary school in Artxanda Trueba, located on the outskirts of Bilbao, Spain. In 1988, he directed his first short film, Mamá (Mum), with artistic director Álex de la Iglesia and Ramon Barea. With the financial winnings from a grant from the Provincial Council of Biscay, he went to study for a master’s in film at New York University. There, he directed his short film Truth and Beauty, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award.
After earning his Ph.D., Berger worked as a professor of management at the New York Film Academy. Thereafter, he began a parallel career as a publicist and producer of music, culminating in 2003 with his first film Torremolinos 73, Pablo Berger biography page at IMDb with Javier Cámara, Fernando Tejero, and Candela Peña. Torremolinos 73 received four Goya nominations and won Berger the Golden Biznaga at the Málaga Film Festival, as well as multiple national and international prizes. The movie became one of the box office successes of the year in Spain.
In 2012, Berger premiered his second film, Blancanieves (Snow White), which was the Spanish representative at the 85th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. Blancanieves won ten Goya Awards, including Best Film and Best Original Screenplay. It also earned Berger the Special Jury Prize at the San Sebastián International Film Festival. It was also nominated for the César Award for Best Foreign Film, as well as two European Film Awards for Best Film and Best Director.
In 2017, Berger premiered Abracadabra, a comedy starring again Maribel Verdú. This was his second film produced by Arcadia Motion Pictures. It became a critical success and received eight nominations at the 32nd Goya Awards.
Pablo Berger is a Knight of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France. In 2018, Berger was invited to become a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
In May 2023, Berger premiered Robot Dreams, his first animated film, at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. The film was based on the graphic novel by American author Sara Varon, and was produced by Arcadia Motion Pictures. The film was sold internationally by Elle Driver and screened at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, where it won the Contrechamp Grand Prix. It won the European Film Award for Best Animated Feature Film and the Annie Award for Best Independent Animated Feature, as well as two Goya Awards for Best Animated Film and Best Adapted Screenplay. In 2024, Berger was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for Robot Dreams, but lost to Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron.
Filmography YearTitleDirectorWriterProducerNotes1988Mamá Short film2003Torremolinos 73 Directorial debut2012Blancanieves 2017Abracadabra 2023Robot Dreams
Awards and nominations Award Year Category Work Result Academy Awards 2024 Best Animated Feature Robot Dreams Alliance of Women Film Journalists 2023 Best Animated Film Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2023 Contrechamp Grand Prix Annie Awards 2024 Best Animated Feature – Independent Best Direction – Feature Best Writing – Feature Argentine Film Critics Association 2015 Best Ibero-American Film Blancanieves Ariel Award 2013 Best Ibero-American Film Boston Society of Film Critics 2023 Best Animated Film Robot Dreams Carmen Awards 2024 Best Non-Andalusian Produced Film CEC Awards 2013 Best Film Blancanieves Best Director Best Screenplay 2018 Best Original Screenplay Abracadabra 2024 Best Film Robot Dreams Best Director Best Adapted Screenplay Best Animated Film César Awards 2014 Best Foreign Film Blancanieves Chicago Film Critics Association 2023 Best Animated Film Robot Dreams Cinekid Festival 2023 Cinekid Lion for Best Children’s Film Coronado Island Film Festival2023Best Animated Feature European Film Awards 2013 European Film Blancanieves European Director 2023 European Animated Feature Film Robot Dreams Feroz Awards 2018 Best Comedy Film Abracadabra 2024 Best Comedy Film Robot Dreams Florida Film Critics Circle 2023 Best Animated Film Forqué Awards 2018 Best Picture Abracadabra 2023 Best Animation Film Robot Dreams Gaudí Awards 2013 Best Film Blancanieves Best Director Best Screenplay 2024 Best Adapted ScreenplayRobot Dreams Best Animated Film Georgia Film Critics Association 2024 Best Animated Film Goya Awards 2004 Best Original Screenplay Torremolinos 73 Best New Director 2013 Best Film Blancanieves Best Director Best Original Screenplay Best Original Song for “No te puedo encontrar” 2018 Best Original Screenplay Abracadabra 2024 Best Adapted Screenplay Robot Dreams Best Animated Film Houston Film Critics Society 2024 Best Animated Feature Indiana Film Journalists Association 2023 Best Film Best Animated Film Original Vision International Cinephile Society 2024 Best Animated Film London Film Critics' Circle 2024 Animated Film of the Year Los Angeles Film Critics Association 2023 Best Animated Film Málaga Film Festival 2003 Golden Biznaga for Best Spanish Film Torremolinos 73 Best Director Nevada Film Critics Society 2024 Best Animated Feature Robot Dreams New York Latin ACE Awards 2013 Best Film Blancanieves Online Film Critics Society 2024 Best Animated Film Robot Dreams Palm Springs International Film Festival 2004 New Voices/New Visions Award Torremolinos 73 2013 Cine Latino Award Blancanieves San Sebastián International Film Festival 2012 Special Jury Prize San Diego Film Critics Society 2023 Best Animated Film Robot Dreams San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle 2024 Best Animated Film Sant Jordi Awards 2013 Best Spanish Film Blancanieves Satellite Awards 2024 Best Animated or Mixed Media Feature Robot Dreams Saturn Awards 2014 Best International Film Blancanieves Sitges Film Festival 2023 Best Film Robot Dreams Grand People's Choice Award for Best Feature Film in the SOFC St. Louis Film Critics Association 2023 Best Animated Film Toronto Film Critics Association 2023 Best Animated Film Vancouver Film Critics Circle 2014 Best Foreign Language Film Blancanieves
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