José María Podestá

Together with his future wife Clotilde Luisi, Uruguayan José Maria Podestá received an Honorable Mention for his work El Deasfio, a play in three acts, in the category Literature / Dramatic Works at the 1948 London Olympics. He was a professor of history and theatre writer, and also a dramatist and critic. He worked as a correspondent in Rome for several Uruguayan newspapers in the early 1920s, and was president of the jury at the first Punta del Este Film Festival in 1951. The value of Podestá’s work was intended to familiarize a sensitive and critical audience with cinematography. Podestá and Luisi later travelled to Europe to hold diplomatic functions in Roma.