José Luis Cienfuegos, a prominent Spanish cultural manager, has died at 60. He transformed festivals in Gijón, Sevilla, and Valladolid into key venues for auteur cinema. His legacy involves promoting emerging filmmakers and linking with local culture.
José Luis Cienfuegos took over the Gijón Festival direction in 1995 at age 31, turning it into a European hub for auteur cinema from the late 1990s to 2010, akin to Sundance. Under his leadership, it drew directors like Pawel Pawlikowski, Darren Aronofsky, Aki Kaurismäki, and Chloë Sevigny, reaching 80,000 attendees by 2012 and ranking 12th in Europe by audience. He broadened the event beyond films, adding concerts, feminist discussions like Les Comadres, exhibitions, and thematic cycles such as Universo Media, led by Vicente Domínguez.
Dismissed in January 2012 after political changes in Gijón with Foro Asturias, despite a manifesto supported by 400 filmmakers, he joined the Sevilla Festival. There, he reinvented it by engaging the local community and hosting European Film Academy candidacy announcements. Focused on European cinema and the 'other Spanish cinema,' he created sections for new narratives and encouraged youth attendance.
In 2023, he moved to Valladolid's Seminci, continuing his reinvention approach, inspired by Fernando Lara. The 70th edition, ending November 1, exceeded 103,000 spectators, featuring cycles like new US indie cinema. Cienfuegos was renowned for his demanding nature, intuition, and commitment, shaping programmers like Fran Gayo, who died in May. His death leaves a gap in European film management.