Oscar Kramer, the widely respected Argentinian producer of such films as Carandiru, Chronicle Of An Escape and El Pasado, has died in Buenos Aires following an illness. He was 72.

Walter Salles, Adrian Caetano, Jorge Gaggero, Damian Szifron, Carlos Sorin, Alejandro Maci, Hector Olivera, Pablo Trapero, and Raul Rodriguez Peila were among luminaries of the Latin American film industry who attended the funeral on April 8 at Parque Memorial.

Up until his death two days earlier Kramer had been producing Ana Katz’ comedy Los Marzianos. Katz and her crew completed the final day’s shoot in northern Argentina in his honour.

Kramer served as president of K&S Films, the company he set up two decades ago with his friend Hugo Sigman, and was also developing a project with Salles, as well as a feature version of the Argentinian comic book El Eternauta, and the next project by Szifron.

During his career he established close relationships with such Latin American directors as Hector Babenco (Carandiru, El Pasado), Marcelo Pineyro (Burnt Money, Kamchatka), Luis Puenzo (Argentina’s 1985 best foreign language Oscar winner The Official Story), and Sorin (The Window, The Road To San Diego).

Gilles Jacob, Sally Potter, Agustin Almodovar, Carlos Conti, Gael Garcia Bernal, Babenco and Pineyro were among those who sent condolences to the funeral.

Tony Safford, 20th Century Fox’s executive vice-president of worldwide acquisitions who met Kramer at the 2000 Toronto International Film Festival, said: “I will miss the twinkle in his eye and his smile that grew larger and larger as we approached each other in Cannes along the Crossette.

“I’ll miss his warm laugh, hearing of his joy of family and of his struggles and passion for producing. I will miss his deep humanity and profound decency.”

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