La primera mirada

In 1947, the Franco regime opened the first film school in Spain. Originally it was called Instituto de Investigaciones y Experiencias Cinematográficas (IIEC), but from 1961 until it closed in 1975 it was known as Escuela Oficial de Cinematografía (EOC).

The official reason the institution was founded was to provide clearly structured professional training for the industry, however, one can also assume that the fascist state had an interest in keeping an eye on the burgeoning talents. In contrast to what one might have expected, it became a sphere of freedom and indeed experimentation, especially, many say, from 1961 on when the school’s directorship changed. José Luis Sáenz de Heredia replaced founder Victoriano López García, Sáenz de Heredia was one of the most complex and contradictory figures of Francoist cinema, an ‘official’ director who was also a free spirit. 

This is the story of how under López García and Sáenz de Heredia two generations of geniuses – let’s just mention Carlos Saura, Luis García-Berlanga, Jaime Chávarri, Mario Camus, Antonio Mercero, Julio Diamante – blossomed at this institution. The school’s impact was felt far beyond Spain, including in Colombia where graduate Jose María Arzuaga would later become the mentor of Luis Ospina.

– Olaf Möller

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