José Ignacio Valenzuela

José Ignacio Valenzuela, also known by the nickname Chascas, is a prominent and prolific Chilean writer and screenwriter who has been featured in film, literature, television and theater, in Chile, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Europe and the U.S. He has published a number of novels and short fiction, and has also served as professor and instructor of creative writing. His work includes almost twenty books published in Latin America, among which are best sellers Trilogía del malamor, Malaluna, Mi abuela la loca, Hashtag and El filo de tu piel. He was selected by About, then part of the New York Times Company, as one of the 10 best Latin American young writers. The script for his film La sangre iluminada, co-written with Mexican director Iván Ávila, won the support of the Sundance Institute in 2001. Miente, written by Valenzuela, was selected by Puerto Rico as its representative film for the 80th Academy Awards (2008). Amores, a TV series he created and wrote by him in 2004, was nominated for an EMMY Award (Suncoast chapter). His telenovelas La casa de al lado and Santa Diabla, both produced by Telemundo US, have been seen around the world beating audience records. He is the creator and writer for national and foreign telenovelas and series for Telemundo, Televisa, Television Azteca, among others. He has also participated in the development of various television, literature, film and theater projects in Chile, Mexico, United States and Puerto Rico.