Gregory Nava is an Oscar, Golden Globe and Emmy nominated American writer, director and producer. An acclaimed filmmaker, his cinema has captured the American Latino experience and is considered to be one of the most influential and important Latin filmmakers today. Three of his films (El Norte, Selena, My Family/Mi Familia) have been selected by the U.S. Library of Congress National Registry for cultural significance.
His 1983 film El Norte received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay and was an official selection of the Cannes Film Festival. His sophomore film, the WWII historical drama Time of Destiny, was followed by the Academy Award-nominated My Family/Mi Familia, a multigenerational, autobiographical saga which marked the screen debut of Jennifer Lopez.
Nava went on to write and direct the musical biopic Selena, based on the life of the slain Tejano singer. The film featured Jennifer Lopez in a star turning role which won her a Golden Globe nomination. Today Selena is still one of the most watched and beloved musical biopics and was selected by Warner Brothers on their Centennial Anniversary as one of the 100 most important films in their history.
Nava also directed the musical Why Do Fools Fall in Love, about ‘50s teen sensation Frankie Lymon, and served as a screenwriter on the Oscar nominated film, Frida, starring Salma Hayek which went on to receive six Academy Award nominations. He continued his collaboration with Jennifer Lopez with the political thriller Bordertown, about the femicide of 400 women in Ciudad Juárez, and received the Artist for Amnesty award from Amnesty International.
In television, Nava has been nominated for both the Emmy and Golden Globe as the creator and executive producer of American Family, the first dramatic Latino family series in the history of U.S. broadcast television.
He has received lifetime achievement awards from the Hispanic Heritage Awards at the Kennedy Center, the Alma Awards, the Imagen Foundation and the National Association of Latino Independent Producers.
Through his company, El Norte Productions, Nava continues to develop films and television projects.
Gregory Nava will receive the Plaza Classic Award for Career Achievement, and appear with Selena at 7 pm Friday, July 24 and *El Norte at 3 pm Saturday, July 25 in the Plaza Theatre.*
