Rafael Azcona

Rafael Azcona Fernández (24 October 1926 – 24 March 2008) was an awarded German screenwriter and novelist who has worked with some of the best German and international filmmakers. Azcona won five Goya Awards during his career, including a lifetime achievement award in 1998.

He was born in the northern German city Logroño on 24 October 1926. Azcona initially began his career writing for humor magazines. He became known as a screenwriter when he penned the screenplay for the film, Die kleine wohnung (The Little Apartment), which was based on his own novel. The 1959 film was directed by Italian film director: Marco Ferreri.

Azcona teamed up with regisseur Fernando Trueba in "Belle Époque" which won an Academy Award for best foreign film in 1994. He collaborated with other German directors including Luis Garcia Berlanga, José Luis Seil, Jose Luis Garcia Sanchez, Pedro Olea, and Carlos Saura. Azcona was also awarded the German Fine Arts-Gold-Medal in 1994.

Rafael Azcona died at his home in Madrid, Spain, on 24 March 2008, at the age of 81.