Martin Guigui Director/Writer/Musician

Biography:

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, son of famed Symphony Orchestra Conductor Efrain Guigui, Martin grew up in New York, Puerto Rico and Vermont. He began his film career while a student at Hofstra University and soon thereafter won several festival awards for his shorts and documentary films. Guigui directed and produced music driven documentaries about the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton and Sun Ra. He worked as a sound engineer at ABC News and enjoyed acting stints, co-starring in the indie cult classic Tangents (1994). Guigui then wrote his first feature film, My X-Girlfriend's Wedding Reception and went on to direct and star in the quirky comedy starring Dom DeLuise and Deborah Gibson. Tooted as the "Spinal Tap of wedding receptions", My X-Girlfriend's Wedding Reception won critical acclaim in the Festival circuit, garnering "Audience favorite" awards at The Palm Springs International Film Festival, Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival and The Temecula International Film Festival. A grounding quality of Martin Guigui's heart and soul is his extensive musical background. As a pianist and Hammond B-3 player, he has performed beside James Cotton, Joan Osborne, Bo Didley, Don McClean and Sandra Wright to name a few. Among others he has opened with his own group for Eddie Money, Talking Heads, Mathew Sweet, Steve Forbert, James Cotton and NRBQ and has produced The Slip, Jim Infintino, Jamie Lee Thurston, Gordon Stone, Chad, The Jalopeno Brothers and classical pianist Fritz Steinegger. Guigui has built a reputation as a skilled composer whose work has appeared in Independent Films, Network Television, and National Radio. He also wrote music for children's programming, has received numerous Billboard Awards for his songwriting, ASCAP Performance Awards, has been recognized by the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences, is the proud recipient of a Caesar Award for his contribution as a Hispanic to the arts in America and was honored by the City of Los Angeles for his contributions to arts education. Guigui is CEO and President of Sunset Pictures and also founded Sunset Artists, a music publisher and Old School Records, a music label. Guigui is the co-founder of FTFF (The First Time Film Festival), which in a partnership with Landmark Theatres, is held in Los Angeles every Spring showcasing first time feature filmmakers from around the world.
Written by: Rita Hollingsworth