---
name: "Jorge Semprún"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/jorge-semprun"
roles: ["Writer"]
born: "10 December 1923"
died: "7 June 2011"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_as: "writer"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-20T05:21:22.739045+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Jorge Semprún

Writer. Born 10 December 1923 in Madrid, Spain. Died 7 June 2011.

## Details

- **Work:** Writer
- **Born:** 10 December 1923, Madrid, Spain
- **Died:** 7 June 2011
- **Also known as:** Jorge Semprún Maura, Federico Sánchez, Jorge Semprun
- **Academy Awards:** 2 Oscar nominations
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jorge_Sempr%C3%BAn, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q157004, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0783934/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/27438

## Streaming the US now

- **HBO Max:** [*Z*](https://film.one/film/z.md) (84)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Jorge Semprún (also credited as Jorge Semprún Maura) was a Spanish writer and screenwriter who lived primarily in France and wrote mainly in French. Born in Madrid in 1923, he was a survivor of the Buchenwald concentration camp and worked clandestinely in Spain for the Communist Party of Spain until his expulsion from the party in 1964. He later served as Spain's Minister of Culture from 1988 to 1991.

Semprún wrote screenplays for several notable films, including *The War Is Over* (1966) directed by Alain Resnais, *Z* (1969) and *The Confession* (1970) directed by Costa-Gavras, *Stavisky...* (1974) and *Special Section* (1975). He received Academy Award nominations for his work on *The War Is Over* and *Z*. In 1996 he became the first non-French member of the Académie Goncourt, and he was awarded the Jerusalem Prize in 1997.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, encyclopedia.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Z* (1969), Fi1m 84, Writer — [page](https://film.one/film/z.md)

## Complete filmography (19)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Le Temps du silence* (2011), Scenario Writer, Writer
- *Ah, c'était ça la vie!* (2010), series, Writer
- *Che: muerte de la utopia?* (1999), Actor
- *K* (1997), Writer
- *L'Affaire Dreyfus* (1995), Writer
- *Netchayev is Back* (1991), Novel
- *The Sidewalks of Saturn* (1986), Writer
- *Los desastres de la guerra* (1983), series, Writer, Creator
- *Roads to the South* (1978), Screenplay
- *A Grin Without a Cat* (1977), as Narrator (voice)
- *A Woman at Her Window* (1976), Dialogue, Screenplay
- *Special Section* (1975), Writer
- *Stavisky...* (1974), Writer
- *Les Deux mémoires* (1974), Director, Writer
- *The Assassination* (1972), Adaptation, Dialogue
- *The Confession* (1970), Screenplay
- *Z* (1969), Writer — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/z.md)
- *Objective: 500 Million* (1966), Screenplay
- *The War Is Over* (1966), as Narrator (voice) (uncredited) · Screenplay

## Gallery

- ![Jorge Semprún](https://film.one/media/person/1243858/gallery-af2a1adf0a06.jpg) Jorge Semprún — Dinkley, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Jorge_Semprun_2009.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![La aportación como político, intelectual y escritor de Jorge Semprún ha llevado al Ayuntamiento de Madrid a rendirle un homenaje en la ciudad que le vio nacer,  (2017)](https://film.one/media/person/1243858/gallery-084ad6441c8a.jpg) La aportación como político, intelectual y escritor de Jorge Semprún ha llevado al Ayuntamiento de Madrid a rendirle un homenaje en la ciudad que le vio nacer,  (2017) — Diario de Madrid, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a6/El_Ayuntamiento_de_Madrid_homenajea_a_Jorge_Sempr%C3%BAn_%2804%29.jpg/1280px-El_Ayuntamiento_de_Madrid_homenajea_a_Jorge_Sempr%C3%BAn_%2804%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![La aportación como político, intelectual y escritor de Jorge Semprún ha llevado al Ayuntamiento de Madrid a rendirle un homenaje en la ciudad que le vio nacer,  (2017)](https://film.one/media/person/1243858/gallery-b4bad8e7f183.jpg) La aportación como político, intelectual y escritor de Jorge Semprún ha llevado al Ayuntamiento de Madrid a rendirle un homenaje en la ciudad que le vio nacer,  (2017) — Diario de Madrid, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7a/El_Ayuntamiento_de_Madrid_homenajea_a_Jorge_Sempr%C3%BAn_%2805%29.jpg/1280px-El_Ayuntamiento_de_Madrid_homenajea_a_Jorge_Sempr%C3%BAn_%2805%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 2 nominated

- 1970: Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (nominated), for *Z*
- 1968: Best Writing, Original Screenplay (nominated), for *The War Is Over*

### BAFTA Film Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- 1969: Best Screenplay (nominated), for *Z*

### Other awards — 20 won, 2 nominated

- Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts 2008: Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts (won)
- honorary doctor of the University of Rennes 2 2007: honorary doctor of the University of Rennes 2 (won)
- Austrian State Prize for European Literature 2006: Austrian State Prize for European Literature (won)
- Goethe Medal 2003: Goethe Medal (won)
- Jean Monnet Prize 2001: Jean Monnet Prize (won)
- honorary doctor of the University of Paris-Est-Marne-la-Vallée 2000: honorary doctor of the University of Paris-Est-Marne-la-Vallée (won)
- Jerusalem Prize 1997: Jerusalem Prize (won)
- Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres 1995: Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres (won)
- Louis Guilloux Prize 1995: Louis Guilloux Prize (won)
- Saint George's Cross 1995: Saint George's Cross (won)
- Femina Vacaresco award 1994: Femina Vacaresco award (won)
- Peace Prize of the German Publishers' and Booksellers' Association 1994: Peace Prize of the German Publishers' and Booksellers' Association (won)
- Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III 1993: Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III (won)
- honorary doctor of the University of Toulouse-II 1991: honorary doctor of the University of Toulouse-II (won)
- honorary doctorate from University of Lyon-II 1989: honorary doctorate from University of Lyon-II (won)
- Premio Planeta de Novela 1977: Premio Planeta de Novela (won)
- Edgar Awards 1970: Edgar Awards (won), for *Z*
- National Society of Film Critics 1970: National Society of Film Critics (nominated), for *The Confession*
- National Society of Film Critics 1969: National Society of Film Critics (nominated), for *Z*
- Prix Femina 1969: Prix Femina (won)
- Prix Formentor 1963: Prix Formentor (won), for *The long Voyage*
- Concours général 1941: Concours général (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/jorge-semprun