Luis Mandoki
Luis Mandoki (born August 17, 1954) is a Mexican film director, working in Mexico and Hollywood.
Luis Mandoki

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- Born
- 17 August 1954
- Birthplace
- Mexico City, Mexico
- Occupation
- Director, producer, screenwriter
- Nationality
- Mexico
- Education
- San Francisco Art Institute · London College of Communication · London Film School
- Known for
- Gaby: A True Story · Born Yesterday · White Palace · Message in a Bottle
- Languages
- Spanish
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Luis Mandoki (born August 17, 1954) is a Mexican film director, working in Mexico and Hollywood.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Note VALÉORINE
Luis Mandoki (born 1954) is a director, film producer and screenwriter, of Mexican nationality. The director was born in Mexico City.
Luis Mandoki was educated at London College of Communication, London Film School and San Francisco Art Institute. The director worked in Mexico and lived in Mexico City.
Among the works are Gaby: A True Story, Message in a Bottle and White Palace. Languages used include Spanish.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 30 September 2026
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Authority files
wikidata · Q939894 · wikipedia · Luis Mandoki
In this article
Biography
Biography
Luis Mandoki studied at San Francisco Art Institute, London College of Communication and London Film School. The recorded working language is Spanish. Places of work recorded in the authority are Mexico. Residence is recorded at Mexico City. Works named in the authority record are Gaby: A True Story, Born Yesterday, White Palace and Message in a Bottle.

Awarding of a seat at the Morelia Michoacán Film Festival in October 2022.
Pedro P. R.C
Key facts
Key facts
• Born — 17 August 1954 • Birthplace — Mexico City, Mexico • Occupation — Director, producer, screenwriter • Years Active — 1975–present
Early life and education
Early life and education
Luis Mandoki was born on August 17, 1954 in Mexico City. His parents are Hungarian Jews. He studied Fine Arts in Mexico, and at the San Francisco Art Institute, the London College of Printing and the London International Film School. While attending this last institution, he directed his first short film Silent Music which won an award at the International Amateur Film Festival of Cannes Film Festival in 1976.
Career
Career
Back in Mexico, he directed short films and documentaries for the Instituto Nacional Indigenista (the National Institute for the Indigenous), Conacine (National Commission of Film) and the Centro de Produccion de Cortometraje (Center for the Production of Short Films). He received an Ariel Award of the Mexican Academy of Film for his short film El secreto in 1980. His film Motel was selected to represent Mexico in film festivals around the globe in 1984. At the age of 30, he developed, wrote, produced and directed Gaby: A True Story (1987), a movie about the struggles of disability activist Gaby Brimer. This film was nominated for both the Academy and Golden Globe Awards. For the next 15 years, he filmed only in English until the critically acclaimed Voces inocentes of 2004. This film gave him a Best Director nomination for the Ariel Award in 2005. The film also received three awards and was nominated for Best Film. The film was selected to represent Mexico for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and had a box-office output of 49.4 million pesos (roughly 4.5 million U.S. dollars) and was seen by 1.5 million people. Mandoki resides in Mexico City with his wife, Olivia, and three children Camille, Daniel and Michelle.
Filmography
Filmography
• Mundo mágico (1980) • Campeche, un estado de ánimo (1980) • El secreto (1980) • Papaloapan (1982) • Motel (1984) • Gaby: A True Story (1987) • The Edge (TV, 1989) • White Palace (1990) • Born Yesterday (1993) • When a Man Loves a Woman (1994) • Message in a Bottle (1999) • Angel Eyes (2001) • Trapped (2002) • Voces inocentes (2004) • ¿Quién es el señor López? (2006) (TV) • Fraude: México 2006 (2007) • La vida precoz y breve de Sabina Rivas (2012) • Presencias (2021)
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
- Mexico City
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Luis Mandoki”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q939894: Luis Mandoki
General reference · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
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Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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