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ELIZABETH AVELLÁN has not only produced numerous films as co-owner and vice president of Troublemaker Studios, but has also played a primary role in developing Austin, Texas as a thriving film community.
In 1991, Avellán co-founded Los Hooligans Productions with Robert Rodriguez when the two began their first feature film project, El Mariachi. Winner of the Audience Awards at the 1993 Sundance and Deauville Film Festivals, the film launched her producing career.
Following the success of El Mariachi, Avellán co-produced the hit 1995 sequel Desperado, written and directed by Robert Rodriguez and starring Antonio Banderas
ELIZABETH AVELLÁN has not only produced numerous films as co-owner and vice president of Troublemaker Studios, but has also played a primary role in developing Austin, Texas as a thriving film community.
In 1991, Avellán co-founded Los Hooligans Productions with Robert Rodriguez when the two began their first feature film project, El Mariachi. Winner of the Audience Awards at the 1993 Sundance and Deauville Film Festivals, the film launched her producing career.
Following the success of El Mariachi, Avellán co-produced the hit 1995 sequel Desperado, written and directed by Robert Rodriguez and starring Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek. She also co-produced From Dusk Till Dawn, written by Quentin Tarantino, directed by Rodriguez and starring George Clooney and Harvey Keitel. In 1998, Avellán produced The Faculty, written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Rodriguez, and starring Elijah Wood and Josh Hartnett. She also produced the successful home entertainment sequels: From Dusk to Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money and From Dusk to Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter. In addition, she served as an executive producer on In and Out of Focus, a documentary about balancing motherhood and a career in the film business.
In 2000, Avellán and Rodriguez founded Troublemaker Studios, their Austin, Texas-based production company. Troublemaker includes a world renowned visual effects studio as well as music and publishing arms. The 2001 smash hit Spy Kids, the first feature produced at Troublemaker, grossed more than $112 million domestically. Directed by Rodriguez, the family film starred Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, Alexa Vega, and Daryl Sabara. Avellán next produced Once Upon a Time in Mexico, the third film in the El Mariachi trilogy, directed by Rodriguez and starring Banderas, Salma Hayek and Johnny Depp. Shortly after, she produced Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams, followed by the third and final installment, Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, which introduced kids to a new dimension of moviemaking with its innovative 3-D technology.
In 2005, Avellán produced Sin City, the critically acclaimed adaptation of three of the popular graphic novels in Frank Miller's Sin City series. Co-directed by Robert Rodriguez and creator Frank Miller, the film featured an all-star ensemble cast, including Bruce Willis, Clive Owen, Jessica Alba, and Benicio Del Toro, among others. That same year, she produced The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D, which was based on a story idea by her then-seven-year-old son, Racer Rodriguez. Directed by Robert Rodriguez, the film starred George Lopez. In addition, Avellán executive produced Secuestro Express, a topical Venezuelan narrative about the dangerous trend of express kidnappings in her home country, starring Mia Maestro and Rubén Blades.
In 2007, Avellán produced Grindhouse, an ode to exploitation double features of the 1970s, directed by Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. That same year, she executive produced the documentary The Truth in Terms of Beauty, an intimate look at the life of photographer Herman Leonard. Avellán is currently in production on the hardedged action film Machete, in addition the new installment in the Predator series, Predators."
Avellán was born in Caracas, Venezuela, where her grandfather, Gonzalo Veloz, was the pioneer of commercial television. At the age of thirteen, she moved to Houston, Texas with her family and later graduated from Rice University. She is on the board of several organizations, including the University of Texas College of Communication Advisory Board; Capital Area Statues, which commissions unique statues for the capital city; Thoughtful House, a center that fights for the recovery of children with developmental disorders; and SAFI Apparel Corporation, an Afghani company, which employs widows of the war-torn region. She is also a board member of the Austin Film Society. The mother of six children, Avellán resides in Austin, Texas.
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