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In a short time, director Luis Mandoki, a native of Mexico, has evolved to become one of Hollywood's foremost filmmakers. Known for his ability to gain the confidence of his actors, he creates a trust that allows them to deliver performances different from and beyond their own expectations. His first American feature was White Palace, starring Susan Sarandon and James Spader, which he followed with the comedy Born Yesterday, with Melanie Griffith, and When A Man Loves A Woman, starring Andy Garcia and Meg Ryan. In 1999 he directed Message in a Bottle, starring Kevin Costner, Robin Wright Penn and Paul Newman.

The Mexican motion picture that brought Mandoki worldwide attention was Gaby--A True Story, the poignant study of a woman he learned about from a television program, a writer coping with cerebral palsy. He developed, wrote, produced and directed the story of Gaby's struggle and her remarkable relationship with her caretaker, played by Norma Aleandro. Gaby received two Golden Globe Award nominations and an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for Aleandro, who starred with Liv Ullmann, Robert Loggia and Rachel Levin.

Now a resident of Santa Barbara, California, Mandoki was born and raised in Mexico City where he became a student of fine arts, an interest he pursued at the San Francisco Art Institute and the London College of Printing. While attending the London International Film School, he directed his first short film, Silent Music, which won a major award at the International Amateur Film Festival at the l976 Cannes Film Festival.

He returned to Mexico to direct several short films and documentaries for the Instituto Nacional Indigenista, Conacine, SA, and Centro de Produccion de Cortometraje. In l980, Mandoki won the Ariel Award (Mexico's Oscar) for his short film, The Secret. His first feature, Motel, was chosen to represent Mexico in five film festivals.