the film director Agustí Villaronga died this Sunday morning at the age of 69, as confirmed by the Catalan Film Academy in a statement. The screenwriter also became popular with the homonymous adaptation of Emili Teixidor’s novel ‘Bye black’, film for which he collected accolades at the Festival of Sant Sebastià, the Goyas and the Gaudís. Born in Palma in 1953, Villaronga graduated in Art History at the UB and in his early days combined the work of an image teacher, film critic and theater artistic director. Throughout his career he also worked as an actor in cinema and theatre. His filmography is characterized by moving away from commercial circuits.
The academy explained that Villaronga died surrounded by his family and friends. “His talent, his sensitivity, his enormous ability to love everything he touched and his films will remain forever”, he remarked.
Villaronga also worked as an illuminator in productions by Ricard Salvat, Víctor García and Pere Planella and started in cinema as a short film maker and as a supporting actor and shooting secretary in professional films. After directing several short films, he made his directorial debut with the horror film ‘Tras el cristal’ in 1987.
With ‘El niño de la luna’ (1989) he won the Goya Award for the original screenplay, while in 2000 one of his most personal works ‘The Sea’ received the Manfred Salzberg Award from the Berlin Festival. In 2002, he shot ‘Aro Tolbukhin: en la mente del asesino’, a mockumentary that was nominated for the Goya, went through the San Sebastián Festival and received seven Ariel Awards.
His big hit, ‘Pa negre’
However, Villaronga’s great success did not come until 2010, when he adapted Emili Teixidor’s novel ‘Pa Negre’ by producer Isona Passola. The film received accolades of all kinds, from the Sant Sebastià Festival – where it was presented – and imposing itself on the Goyas and Gaudí. ‘Pa negre’ gave the filmmaker great popularity, being on the verge of competing for the Oscar Award in the category of best non-English language film.
Subsequently, in 2017 he premiered the drama ‘Incerta Glòria’ which was also nominated for various awards and in 2021 ‘El ventre del mal’. The last film he directed was ‘Loli Tormenta’ shot last year.
Among the numerous awards he has received, the National Film Culture Award (2001), the National Cinematography Award of the Ministry of Culture (2011) and the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts (2021) stand out.