3rd / 4th ESA: A BIOGRAPHY. CHANO PIÑEIRO

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Chano Piñeiro

His real name was Luciano Manuel Piñeiro Martinez. He was born in Forcarey, 

Pontevedra. 

He was born in 1954 and he lived in Forcarey for 10 years. He attended 

primary school there. Then he moved to Marin and later to Santiago de 

Compostela. He studied Pharmacy there and he met his wife there, too. She gave him his first camera Super 8. And he started to film scenes from popular festivals in the area. He became a film director. 

In 1984 he recorded his first 35mm short, Mamasunción, the portrait of an old woman patiently waiting for the letter from her son. With this film he won numerous awards in Australia, Canada, Sweden and Germany as well as in 

Bilbao.

In 1989, he made his first long film, Sempre Xonxa, the first film production filmed entirely in Galician and shot entirely in Galicia.

He died in Vigo when he was 40 years old , he suffered from Crohn's disease, which undermined his health and his gaunt appearance. He died in 1995. 

He became a pioneer as well as a symbol of the new generation of Galician 

film industry.