Zaragoza, 1994. Director and guitarist. “Ojos Negros” (2019) in his first work created Biznaga de Plata at the Malaga Festival. Muyeres (2023), the second big film, shone at the Shanghai festival: it received a Jurado Special Mention and an award for Best Cinematography.
Where are you going again for the first time?
When my father sang and danced: “Pinocho was fishing in the Rio Guadalquivir, he lost his fishing rod and was fishing with a nariz.” As far as I remember, my father always supported me.
Where do you see this?
My fathers always noticed that when he was a child and saw a frog that I sang sadly with a guitar, they would stuff the ends of my hair and fill me with emotions. Now this image makes me laugh a lot, but I find my reaction very curious. I imagine I felt the power of music and the ability to empathize with other people’s feelings, even if it was a telephone.
Did you feel rare, special?
I felt drawn to things that didn’t draw attention to everything else. I have always been very observant and imaginative, although I was melancholic. The first time I truly realized how different my friends were was when I told one of them that I was sad that I couldn’t live in a bygone era. She told me: “What can you say!”
Did she receive some kind of punishment that made her feel bad?
It was not a punishment, but I remember the professor’s proposal, which shocked me. I tell myself, “If you follow this, you will get into a wedge.” Now this teacher continues to work. I probably don’t remember it being just barbaric, but I can’t forget.
What was the street of your childhood?
El Paseo del Canal in Zaragoza. I remember just where it intersects with Via Iberica, there grew a hundred-year-old blackberry, huge and precious. Now I need to feed the celery tasters that I stored in a box of zapatos. I talked to her for many years and always knew about her.
What is your impression of Felipe Gonzalez?
I did not survive the years of the presidency. The only thing I had was seeing him as guiñol muñeco in a program on Canal+ that my fathers showed.
Was she religious?
I never professed the Catholic religion, my fathers did not profess and I did not profess, although I listened very carefully to the stories that my friends told me who did so at catechesis. I was attracted to this whole world that was so dear to me, these great stories, this satisfaction, this faith.
What was your first contact with death? Did it upset you or cause you any pain?
The first contact I remembered was the death of my yayo Juan. It was my first funeral and it had a big impact on me on stage. The exposed heel came out of the soil auger of the mechanical lift, and when the mass was reached, the soil turned to pick it up until it disappeared. I couldn’t believe that this was my ego inside and that I wasn’t going to turn to the truth. As far as I remember, one of my greatest minedos is death, not mine, but of my family and queridos queridos.
Does anyone care or not what you like to record?
Muchas. Occasions have always kept me romantic and somewhat unconscious. As a teenager, I always said that I preferred to regret the things I had and the things I shouldn’t have done. I remember this phrase as a kind of engine that activated me, and it always remains in my memory. Now that my memory begins to deepen: with the scent of the song of Violadores del Verso, we spent some time in our messenger life.
Which movie star fascinated you first?
Penelope Cruz.
Was there the first person who made you feel unbearably emotional in real life?
I remember very well the emotions when I hugged my naked mother in my arms. I was 8 years old and suddenly I felt vastness, love. I remember looking at this thing that fell between my little girl’s arms and thinking that we will always be with us.
First song I remember?
The first one is most likely from some movie. Hercules fascinated me and I knew him all. As a teenager, he was a big fan of Estopa, Shakira, Nut de Van Gogh, Amaral and El Canto del Loco.
Which national or international personality could give you a strong recommendation?
Jose Antonio Labordeta.
Are you interested in learning about your wonderful friends? What was the most powerful memory that captured her?
Group of teenage friends: Klau, Eliza, Ale and Vicky. We called Las Olas, there were real celebrations during the holidays for the townspeople. We enjoyed learning from abandoned sites and believed that we were more than we were. The other day, when a fleeting star appeared – the tears of San Lorenzo – it transported me back to that very day, five years ago. This was the first time a star escaped. I was with her, somersaulting on the earthen fireplace, carrying vases with botellon, from the background sonba “Verano azul” by Juan Magan and “Mi estrella blanca” from “Fondo Flamenco”. I remember this feeling of belonging to a group as a very enjoyable and fulfilling era.
Of all the things your fathers taught you, what did you do with greater strength?
About slavery and fidelity.
Do you have any flaw or weakness that you discovered as a child that no one has been able to overcome?
I am always very cabezota and very passionate when expressing myself or feelings. This is what stops me with more control, but it characterizes me, and it is the flaws that have brought me to where I am. No, I’m not giving up.
You can travel back in time and go back to your early years for one day, so what day will it be?
I was talking once on holiday in Verano when I was 9 or 10 years old. With my children, my parents, my fathers and my wife. I play Pokemon, watch Grand Prix, worry about the salt in my hair, and no longer worry about choosing the best flavor of the product I’m going to Bahar al Pueblo for after my siesta.