Spanish director of light, frolicsome comedies with classical characters and story structures. Trueba had directed features and penned screenplays for a number years, starting with "Opera Prima/First Effort" (1980) unbeknownst to Americans save film festival attendees. This changed with the release of "Belle Epoque" (1993) which snagged a 1993 Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film. A story of a young soldier who stays with a painter and his four beautiful daughters, the film illustrated Trueba's desire to entertain through well-scripted comedies. His signature films include "El Ano de las
