Benito
Pérez
Buñuel
What unites the writer Benito Pérez Galdós and the filmmaker Luis Buñuel?
With the voices of prestigious specialists and admirers of the two great universal creators, Benito Pérez Buñuel discovers the connections between the two through a hybrid documentary between the classic approach, animated film, self-fiction and mockumentary.
The critics have said: "For being the mostrounded, efficient, deep, rhythmic and brave. Lush, in its 74 minutes, even in the pulse of the attention it holds and also surprising in contrasts and nuances to tell the story of a very rich creative imprint, critical thinker with its lights and shadows."
Jury of the Critics' Prize at the 17th International Documentary Film Festival of Uruguay
Distributed by
Released
IN COMMERCIAL THEATRES
in 17 Spanish capitals
Official Trailer
That of Galdós
is the only influence
that I would recognize,
in general,
on me
Luis Buñuel to Max Aub,
collected in Conversations with Buñuel
(Ed. Aguilar, Madrid, 1985).
Tour
2025
The Cabildo de Gran Canaria launches the initiative "Preach Galdós", which will spread the film on the island after the death, in March 2025, of Yolanda Arencibia, mother of the director, the world's leading expert on Galdós and a participant in the film. Fourteen municipalities of Gran Canaria will screen the film in the period 2025-2026, which is practically the whole island if we add those that had screened the film before.
2025 - 2026
2024
Audience Award at the 46th Lima European Film Festival. Five screenings in Lima, Cusco and Arequipa. Masterclass in Lima by the director.
November 16 to 30.
Selection at the 23rd Manila Film Festival, the most important showcase for Spanish-language films in Southeast Asia.
Shangri-La Plaza Cinemas, Manila. October 5-13.
Selection at the Magnificent Film Festival and professional meetings in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. September 25-27.
Special session in Los Angeles and professional meetings.
Instituto Cervantes de Los Angeles, Hollywood, United States. September 19 and 20.
Special screening. Festivities of San Roque.
House of Culture. Villa de Firgas, Gran Canaria. August 8th.
Special screening.
House of Culture. Villa de Moya, Gran Canaria. June 12th.
Chosen by the Spanish Embassy in Argentina for a tour of five shows and parallel events in Argentina, in the cities of Buenos Aires, Rosario and Córdoba.
May 20-30.
Broadcast on Telemadrid, for the Community of Madrid. Commemorating the anniversary of the birth of Benito Pérez Galdós.
May 10.
Special presentation in Madrid for the 180th anniversary of the birth of Benito Pérez Galdós, organized by the Viceconsejería de Cultura del Gobierno de Canarias.
150 people. Cine Estudio del Círculo de Bellas Artes. April 19.
Selection in MAFIZ, industry market of the 27th Malaga Film Festival.
Spanish Screenings section. March 4 to 8.
Special screening that was the first public tribute in the Canary Islands to Jerónimo Saavedra, voice of Galdós in the film. With the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Faculty of Philology. 150 people. Assembly Hall of the Humanities Building. January 10.
2023
Publication of the chapter "Galdós y Buñuel, el abrazo de dos gigantes" in the book "Galdós y cuenta nueva : variaciones interdisciplinares".
Carlos Brito Díaz, Isabel Castells Molina (eds.). December.
Special screening for students of Philology at the University of La Laguna.
30 people. Assembly Hall of the Faculty of Education. La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands. December 1st.
Honorable Mention at the 40th Bogotá Film Festival, Bogocine.
Selected among more than 700 films from 83 countries. Art Documentary Section. Bogota, Colombia. November 15 to 23.
Special screening in Calanda, Teruel, where the film was shot.
In collaboration with the City Council of Calanda and the Buñuel Calanda Center. 70 people. House of Culture "Víctor Romero". November 4.
Critics Award at the 17th International Documentary Film Festival of Uruguay.
International competition. Selected among 600 documentaries from 43 countries. Montevideo, Piriápolis, Punta del Este, Uruguay. October 16-29.
Broadcast on Televisión Española, in a program commemorating the 40th anniversary of the death of Luis Buñuel, with the films ''Belle de Jour'' and ''El ángel exterminador''.
Television premiere in Spain. October 21st.
Special commemorative screening of the 180th anniversary of the birth of Benito Pérez Galdós.
Cultural Center of the Villa. Santa Brígida. October 7th.
Special screening XI Congress of Hispanists of Ukraine. First Spanish film screened at a special event in Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion in 2021.
60 people in attendance. Palace of Arts air-raid shelter. Lviv, Ukraine. September 29th.
Hispanoamerican Writers Festival of La Palma. First outdoor screening of the film.
70 people attending. Plaza de España of Los Llanos de Aridane. La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain. September 27th.
Special commemorative screening of the 180th anniversary of the birth of Benito Pérez Galdós.
60 people. Royal Yacht Club of Gran Canaria. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. September 15th.
Special screening at the Filmoteca de La Rioja, Rafael Azcona Hall.
60 people. Logroño, Spain. July 26th.
Broadcasting on Televisión Canaria, for the Canary Islands Community.
Television premiere. Commemorative of the Day of the Canary Islands. Canary Islands, Spain. June 2nd.
Special commemorative screening of the 180th anniversary of the birth of Benito Pérez Galdós.
400 people. Auditorium of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Canary Islands, Spain. May 10th.
Special screening for World Book Day and exhibition on "Benito Pérez Buñuel" at IES Salvador Dalí.
With the presence of the RTVE "Culturas 2" team. 90 students in attendance. MK2 Palacio del Hielo Cinemas. Madrid, Spain. April 23rd.
Commercial premiere. 17 capital cities, 11 autonomous communities, 21 screens.
Spain. March 24.
Preview for team, collaborators and authorities.
440 guests. Yelmo Las Arenas Cinemas. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. March 21.
2022
14 Ventana Sur. Spanish Screenings On Tour, Film Library Online.
Buenos Aires, Argentina. November 28 to December 2.
Preview for team and collaborators.
120 guests. First commercial release in theaters. La Vaguada Cinemas. Madrid, Spain. November 25th.
III International Film Festival of Granada "Lorca Awards". Official section
Granada, Spain. November 16-19.
International Documentary
Film Festival Amsterdam IDFA 2022.
Docs for Sale
Amsterdam, The Netherlands. November 9 to 20.
They have said of "Benito Pérez Buñuel".
Press appearances
''The Department of Culture of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria presented the tour at the Casa Museo Pérez Galdós, highlighting the relevance of this production as a tribute to Yolanda Arencibia, recently deceased professor of Spanish Literature.''
''Directed in 2022 by Luis Roca formulates a journey that transits between the classic approach, mockumentary, auto fiction and animated film''
''It will be the Asian premiere of one of the Canarian films that has had the best theatrical distribution in recent years, in 17 Spanish capitals and 21 screens simultaneously.''
''The documentary is dedicated to the writer Benito Pérez Galdós and the filmmaker Luis Buñuel, and will be presented by its director''.
"The documentary is screened at the ULPGC in tribute to the former president of the Canary Islands. The event coincides with the beginning of the 40th Music Festival, which he founded in 1985."
"(...) In the Humanities Building, the first screening of the documentary Benito Pérez Buñuel takes place in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria after the Death of Jerónimo Saavedra."
"Marta de Santa Ana and Luis Roca, producer and director of the Canarian documentary, dedicate the award to Jerónimo Saavedra, voice of Galdón in the feature film"
"The work reviews the intellectual confluences of the writer from the Canary Islands and the filmmaker from Teruel".
"The Canary Islanders Luis Roca and Marta de Santa Ana lead the film whose shooting went through the Rompida of 2021.
Neighbors and schoolchildren were able to see themselves on the big screen'"
"Luis Roca manages to project his hard-fought film in the 'Macondo' of cinema."
"The documentary has already collected awards at different festivals, it was partly filmed in the 2021 Time Breaker."
"The jury of the South American country's Film Critics Association distinguishes the Canarian work 'for being the most rounded, efficient, profound, rhythmic and courageous'"
"The documentary film was broadcast last Friday on Televisión Española for the whole country as the culmination of a special tribute program to Luis Buñuel."
"The film, which portrays the relationship between the two creators, at the Palace of Arts in Lviv in the framework of its XI International Congress of Hispanists."
"The feature-length documentary film from the Canary Islands will be presented on September 30 within the framework of the 11th Congress of the Association of Hispanists of Ukraine."
"After five years of work, the documentary 'Benito Pérez Buñuel', directed by Luis Roca and produced by Marta de Santa Ana, arrives in theaters on March 24.
The filmmaker acknowledged that Galdós was his greatest influence."
Technical data
Title Benito Pérez Buñuel
Genre Documentary with animation
Duration 74 minutes
4K Digital Support
Producer and original idea Marta de Santa Ana
Director and script Luis Roca
Production Management Marta de Santa Ana
Editing Juan Gabriel García (AMMAC) / Raúl Román
Director of photography Santiago Torres
Music Lisandro Rodríguez
Art and styling María González
Animation director Manuel Sirgo
Direct sound Fabián Yanes / Álvaro Silva
Head of Administration Iñaki de Santa Ana
With the voices of Jeronimo Saavedra, Jose Luis Gil, Luis Bajo, Joel Bosqued, Manuel Castillo, Mari Carmen Sanchez, Francisco Montesdeoca
Interviewees Elena Poniatowska, Víctor Fuentes, Yolanda Arencibia, Arantxa Aguirre, Jordi Xifra, Carolina Fernández Cordero, Mario Barro, Nelson Carro, Rafael Congrio Lamata
Filming locations Gran Canaria, Calanda, Madrid, Mexico City, Santa Barbara (California)
Distribution Karma Films
Project
Benito Pérez Buñuel is a feature-length documentary that features two great creators, the writer Benito Pérez Galdós and the filmmaker Luis Buñuel.
The basis of this film is the phrase Luis Buñuel uttered to his friend Max Aub in 1969 when he asked him about his most important influences. Buñuel replied:
"That of Galdós is the only influence that I would recognize, thus in general, on me."
Three films converge in Benito Pérez Buñuel. That of Benito Pérez Galdós, a continuator of the great Spanish cultural tradition (Cervantes, El Lazarillo, Quevedo, Lope de Vega, Velázquez, Goya), a universal realist writer on a par with his Russian, French and British contemporaries, but not as renowned as the latter. That of Luis Buñuel, one of the leading filmmakers of the twentieth century, who continued the path of the previous ones through the main artistic expression of his century, the cinema. And finally, the film that links the previous ones: that of the director, a filmmaker in his fifties, who reflects on the two great creators in the process of making this film.
Filming locations
- Gran Canaria
- Madrid
- Calanda
- Mexico City
- Santa Barbara (California)
The production in images
A project of interest
They finance
Collaborators
