El oficio de hacer cine’, directed by Gaizka Urresti and Rafael Maluenda, receives its premiere presentation this weekend at the Festival de Cine de Comedia de Tarazona, shining a long-overdue spotlight on the foundational Aragonese filmmaker and industry pioneer José María Forqué.
Here is the kicker. While modern audiences might immediately associate the Forqué name with Spain’s prestigious annual acting accolades—the Premios José María Forqué—the man behind the moniker was a cinematic powerhouse who quietly engineered the backbone of mid-century Spanish popular cinema. Codirectors Gaizka Urresti and Rafael Maluenda have crafted a vital archival excavation, diving deep into a career that spanned 47 feature films and five television series.
The Bottom Line:
- The Premiere: ‘Forqué. El oficio de hacer cine’ debuts this Saturday at the Festival de Cine de Comedia de Tarazona, following its earlier spotlight at the Málaga Film Festival.
- The Creative Force: Codirected by Gaizka Urresti and Rafael Maluenda, with participation from Aragón TV, the film honors Zaragoza-born director and screenwriter José María Forqué (1923–1995).
- The Industrial Legacy: The documentary reevaluates Forqué’s commercial and artistic triumphs, including iconic titles like ‘Atraco a las tres’ and ‘Maribel y la extraña familia’.
Reclaiming the Architect of Spanish Popular Cinema
Born in Zaragoza in 1923, José María Forqué was never an auteur content to hide in artistic obscurity. Instead, as Aragón TV reports, his directing philosophy centered on forging a direct, unshakeable bond with the audience. Gaizka Urresti notes that the project champions a distinct philosophy: “Es la reivindicación de una forma de hacer cine popular, entendido como industria y como comunicación con el espectador, con esa ansia de llegar al público que siempre tuvo presente José María Forqué.”
That populist ambition resulted in some of the most enduring comedies and dramas in Spanish cinematic history. Long before streaming algorithms dictated content formulas, Forqué mastered the delicate art of balancing commercial appeal with sharp social observation. Titles like ‘Atraco a las tres’ remain masterclasses in genre filmmaking, proving that entertainment and cultural relevance could comfortably share the marquee.
From Feature Films to Historical Television Landmarks
But Forqué’s canvas stretched far beyond theatrical features. Across his extensive filmography, he also ventured into ambitious television projects that explored towering figures in Spanish history, helming series dedicated to luminaries like Santiago Ramón y Cajal and Miguel Servet. But the math tells a different story about how contemporary audiences view him: his surname lives on via the EGEDA-backed Premios José María Forqué, though his own directorial credits occasionally risk fading from public consciousness.
To combat that historical erasure, Urresti and Maluenda assemble a stellar lineup of cultural historians, critics, and contemporary filmmakers. The documentary features analytical contributions from noted authorities including Antón Castro, Luis Alegre, Agustín Sánchez Vidal, Ana Asión, and Vicky Calavia. By pairing archival footage with modern critical discourse, the film contextualizes Forqué not merely as a historical footnote, but as a crucial structural pillar of Spain’s entertainment ecosystem.
| Metric / Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Birth & Origin | Zaragoza, 1923 |
| Feature Films Directed | 47 cinematic productions |
| Television Projects | 5 television series (including historical biographies) |
| Key Cultural Legacy | Namesake of the Premios José María Forqué; father of actress Verónica Forqué |
| Documentary Codirectors | Gaizka Urresti and Rafael Maluenda |
Aragón TV and the Regional Film Circuit
The film’s debut at Tarazona highlights the vital role of regional public broadcasting in preserving cinematic heritage. El oficio de hacer cine’ arrives alongside a robust slate of regional documentary projects championed at festival circuits, including Vicky Calavia’s ‘Insumisa y Divina. Raquel Meller’, Javier Espada’s ‘Memoria de los olvidados’, and Anna Saura’s ‘Ese niño de la fotografía’.
