Julián Hernández is a Mexican film director and screenwriter widely recognized for his art house feature films exploring themes of sexuality and identity. He is best known for his 2002 debut feature, A Thousand Clouds of Peace, which won numerous awards and was the first feature film by a Mexican director to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival.
Hernández was born in Mexico City in 1976. He studied communication and literature at the Universidad Iberoamericana and then went on to become a theater director. His work in theater led him to directing television programs and documentaries. In 2002, Hernández wrote and directed his debut feature A Thousand Clouds of Peace, which won the Grand Prix at the Festival of German Film and the Teddy Award at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Hernández has continued to explore themes of identity and sexuality in his subsequent films. His 2004 film I’m Gonna Explode, focuses on two rebellious teenagers on the run from their families and society. The film was selected to compete at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the FIPRESCI Prize.
Hernández's next two films, Dark Blue Almost Black (2006) and Broken Sky (2006) both focus on the lives of young men struggling to come to terms with their sexuality and identities. The films were both screened at the Cannes Film Festival and earned Hernández further recognition.
In 2009, Hernández wrote and directed the romantic drama White Night, which tells the story of a man struggling to come to terms with his homosexuality. The film was screened at the San Sebastián International Film Festival and won the Jury Prize.
Hernández’s most recent feature, The Empty Hours (2013), is a romantic drama about a young man who manages a beachfront motel in Mexico. The film was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and won the Grand Prix at the Tokyo International Film Festival.
Hernández's films have been praised for their sensitive and nuanced treatment of complex subject matters. His work has earned him numerous awards and recognitions, and he is widely considered one of the most important Mexican directors of his generation.
