Spanish Directors
Language Resources

Spanish Directors

The role of a director is essential for a film to have the potential to captivate an audience. You definitely need the right individual to capture the emotions and vision behind each story, and someone who can accurately translate this to the audience. Directors have to be masters of all parts of the filming experience, and not just the ordering people about. Many directors today are also producers, composers and cameramen, and some have even ventured into the world of acting (or vice-versa). In short, the director often makes the film (in more ways than one!).

Fortunately, Spain is home to some first-rate directors who are known and loved both in Spain and internationally for their contributions to some of the great films you can see today. These Spanish directors are talented enough to be able to move out of their comfort zones into new genres and territories as well convey powerful messages and meanings through their work. So go on and check out some of the great minds that have brought some Spanish cinema gold to our screens over the years.

Some Spanish Directors...

Luis Buñuel
Luis Buñuel is remembered for being a fantastic surrealist filmmaker, who collaborated with Salvador Dalí on a number of projects, including his most famous film, Un chien anadlou. This film has been converted into a cult movie which has meant that the name of this Spanish director has lived on, long after his death in 1983. Many consider Buñuel to be one of the most important and original directors in the history of cinema.

Pedro Almodóvar
Without doubt, the most famous Spanish director today is Pedro Almodóvar. His close relationship with the Movida Madrileña in Spain after the fall of Franco has given rise to a number of films which seem to sum up the changes that have occurred in Spanish society since that point. In particular, a lot of his films deal with the issues and changes that Spanish women have faced through this turbulent and ever-developing period in the country. All of Almodóvar's films are very famous nowadays, including the 2006 film Volver, starring Penelope Cruz.

Alejandro Amenábar
Alejandro Amenábar is a Spanish-Chilean director who has been successful in both Spanish-language cinema and English-language cinema. Although he is often criticized for trying to imitate Hollywood cinema too much, no one can deny that he has directed some great movies, such as the thrillers Abre los Ojos and The Others. Furthermore, Amenábar is one of those multi-talented directors as he is also a skilled composer and often composes the scores for his movies and those of other directors.

Julio Médem
Julio Médem is one of those directors that is not overly well known by members of the public, but is highly revered by some of the main players in the business. Médem is admired by a number of people including Steven Spielberg, and is promising to be among the best Spanish directors of the next few years. Among some of his films so far, we can find Vacas, Lucía y el sexo and Caótica Ana.

Carlos Saura
One of the classic Spanish directors in Spain today, Carlos Saura has been making films since the 1950s and has always been considered as a cinematic genius. He is just one of those people who embodies the development and progression of Spanish cinema in himself and his work. In recognition of his great contribution to the Spanish film industry, Saura has been nominated for and awarded a whole host of prizes including Oscars, Goyas, and Cannes Film Festival awards. One of his most famous movies was ¡Ay, Carmela! which starred the famous Spanish actress Carmen Maura.

As you can see, there are a whole host of great Spanish directors, and these are just a few of the most famous ones! Spanish film is growing and becoming stronger everyday. It is probably one of Hollywood's biggest rivals today and who knows how the two will compare in the future.

Want to find out more about some of the best Spanish directors in Spain? Just follow the links below to discover more about the world of Spanish film and the creative geniuses who have put Spain on the cinematic map.

Chat with us