Born in San Diego, Calif., Gregory Nava, who has a Mexican and Basque heritage, attended film school at UCLA, where he earned a BA in 1971 and a MFA in 1976. At UCLA he filmed the short film
The Journal of Diego Rodriguez Silva, and, for his work, won the Best Dramatic Film Award at the National Student Film Festival.
Later, Nava came to the attention of Hollywood with his landmark film
El Norte, which garnered Nava an Oscar nomination for writing the screenplay. In 1995 the film was registered by the Library of Congress, U.S. National Film
… More Registry.
Gregory Nava's film credits include: Why Do Fools Fall in Love, A Time of Destiny, My Family/Mi Familia, and Selena.
In February 2000 Gregory Nava received an award from the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ) for his efforts in promoting diversity. Nava was co-featured at the NCCJ's 40th Annual Humanitarian Awards dinner on February 10, 2000, in Santa Monica, Calif.
According to the NCCJ, "Writer-director Gregory Nava received the NCCJ's first Artist Circle Award, honoring his work in writing, directing and producing films that showcase the nation's diversity, as well as for his continuing commitment to the Latino community."
In 2003 he began producing and directing the television series American Family for PBS.
