Julia Vargas-Weise

Julia Vargas-Weise (1942 – 1 April 2018) was a Bolivian photographer, screenwriter, educator, and film director.

Julia Vargas-Weise
Julia Vargas-Weise, IFFI (2015)
Born	1942 (1942) Cochabamba, Bolivia
Died	1 April 2018 (aged 76) Barcelona, Spain
Occupation(s)	Photographer, screenwriter, educator, film director
Notable work	Sealed Cargo

Biography

Julia Vargas-Weise was born in Cochabamba in 1942.^[1] She trained professionally at the Ecole des Arts et Métiers in Vevey, Switzerland.^[1]

She became known as the first female professional photographer in Bolivia.^[2] She overcame discrimination to obtain fair recognition and valuation of her work,^[2] and from 1963 to the end of her life, she participated in 30 international photo exhibitions, including 17 solo exhibitions.^[1]

In 1980, she founded and directed a non-governmental organization which held audiovisual workshops for children and adolescents.^[1] In 1984, she worked in the film industry for the first time, as a still photographer for the feature Los Hermanos Cartagena.^[2] She went on to direct three films, including 2015's Sealed Cargo, which was selected as Bolivia's entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, but was not nominated.^[3] It also won special jury awards at the International Film Festival of India^[4] and the WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival.^[5]

Julia Vargas-Weise died in Barcelona on 1 April 2018 at age 76.^[1][2]

Awards

• 2016: Best Director for Sealed Cargo at the Marbella International Film Festival^[6]
• 2017: Award for Contribution to Bolivian Cinema and Audiovisual Arts at the 17th Santa Cruz International Film Festival (FENAVID)^[7]

Julia Vargas receiving the Special Jury Award for the film Sealed Cargo, at IFFI (2006)

Filmography

• Esito sería... (2004)
• Patricia, una vez basta (2006)
• Sealed Cargo (2015)

Books

• Tierra adentro: obra fotográfica (1987)