Born in Buenos Aires Argentina, son of Symphony Orchestra Conductor Efrain Guigui, Martin grew up in New York, Puerto Rico and Vermont. Known as an "actor's director" and a great "story teller", Guigui began his film career while a student at Hofstra University and soon thereafter won several student film festival awards for his shorts and documentary films. Guigui worked the New York stand-up circuit, wrote for Saturday Night Live, was an editor/sound engineer at ABC News and enjoyed acting stints, co-starring in the indie cult classic "Time Chasers."
Guigui then wrote his first feature film, "MY X-GIRLFRIEND'S WEDDING RECEPTION" and went on to direct and star in the quirky comedy with Dom DeLuise and Debbie Gibson. Tooted by Rolling Stone as the "Spinal Tap of wedding receptions", "MY X-GIRLFRIEND'S WEDDING RECEPTION" won critical acclaim in the Festival circuit garnering "Best Comedy" award at the Monte Carlo Film Festival and "Audience Favorite" awards at Palm Springs International Film Festival, Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, Milan International Film Festival, Temecula International Film Festival.
Guigui's second directorial effort "CHANGING HEARTS" starring Faye Dunaway, Tom Skerritt, Lauren Holly, Ian Sommerhalder and Rita Coolidge enjoyed a successful run and was up for 3 Golden Globe nominations including "Best Song". Last year, Martin directed "SWING", starring Jacqueline Bisset, Jonathan Winters, Tom Skerritt, Nell Carter, Barry Bostwick, Mindy Cohn and Innis Casey. "SWING" enjoyed a successful North American theatrical. Guigui directed National Lampoon's "CATTLE CALL", which he wrote. He is producing the album soundtrack, both summer releases and is currently in post-production on "BENNY BLISS AND THE DISCIPLES OF GREATNESS", his 5th directorial effort.
Martin will be directing "Sweetwater" this spring, a passion project he penned about the first African American to play in the NBA to be brought to the big screen by producer Michel Shane ("Catch Me If You Can", "I Robot").
A grounding quality of Martin Guigui's heart and soul is his extensive musical background. As a pianist and Hammond B-3 organ player, he has performed and recorded beside John Lee Hooker, James Cotton, Joan Osborne, Bo Didley, Phish, Laverne Baker, Sandra Wright & Soul Kitchen, Bill Sims and Don McClean. Among others he has opened with his own group for Eddie Money, Talking Heads, Mathew Sweet, Steve Forbert and NRBQ and has produced The Slip, Jim Infintino, Jamie Lee Thurston, Gordon Stone, The Jalopeno Brothers, Kip Meaker and classical pianist Fritz Steinegger. Guigui, a Grammy voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, has built a reputation as a skilled composer whose work has appeared in Independent Films, Network Television, and National Radio. He has a long lasting and on going collaboration with the Noodlehead Network, writing music for children's programming.
Guigui received numerous Billboard Awards for his songwriting, ASCAP Performance Awards and is the proud recipient of a Caesar Award for his contribution as a Hispanic to the arts in America. Martin is a member of The Directors Guild Of America and won a Best Director award at the Latin USA Film Festival in New York for his work on "SWING". Martin is president of Sunset Pictures which also houses Sunset Artists, a music label.
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