Luis Puenzo, director of Argentina’s first Oscar-winning film, dies

WorldMovie
22 Apr 2026 • 9:46 AM MYT
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Image from: Luis Puenzo, director of Argentina’s first Oscar-winning film, dies

Argentine filmmaker Luis Puenzo, who directed the Oscar-winning ‘The Official Story’, has died in Buenos Aires at the age of 80.

BUENOS AIRES: LUIS Puenzo, the director of the first Argentine film to win an Oscar, has died at the age of 80.

The General Society of Argentine Authors announced his passing in a statement.

“With deep sorrow we bid farewell to the outstanding screenwriter, director, producer and partner in our organization, Luis Puenzo, who passed away today in the city of Buenos Aires at the age of 80,” the organisation said.

No cause of death was provided. Puenzo had been absent from public life for an extended period due to health issues.

His landmark drama “The Official Story” won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1986. The film explored the adoption by military families of children taken from activists during Argentina’s 1976-1983 dictatorship.

Puenzo also directed other notable films including the 1989 drama “Old Gringo” starring Jane Fonda. He later directed “The Plague” in 1992, an adaptation of the Albert Camus novel starring William Hurt and Robert Duvall.