Fabián Bielinsky, whose second and final film, El Aura / The Aura, was shown at the Los Angeles Film Festival this past Wednesday, has died of an apparent heart attack.
The Buenos Aires native was best known for his 2000 film Nueve reinas / Nine Queens, a labyrinthine caper thriller starring Ricardo Darín and Gastón Pauls as two con-men out to commit the perfect robbery. Nueve reinas won awards at festivals in Biarritz, Bogota, Lima, and Oslo, plus seven awards – including Best Film – from the Argentinean Film Critics Association. In 2004, Nueve reinas was repackaged by the Hollywood remake mill, turning into the poorly received Criminal, directed by Gregory Jacobs, and starring John C. Reilly and Diego Luna.
Bielinsky was reportedly working on a new project in São Paulo, where he died in his hotel room on Wednesday (June 28) night. He was 47.
El Aura Wins Top Prize at the 2006 Argentinean Film Critics' Association's 2006 Awards
His film The Aura was quite impressive. Nine Queens was even better.