Cinema During and After the Spanish Civil War
Exploring the role of cinema as propaganda during the Spanish Civil War and its evolution in the post-war era, highlighting key directors and the emergence of film festivals.
Since 1936, both sides of the Spanish Civil War began utilizing cinema as a tool for propaganda. On the Francoist side, the National Department of Cinematography was established. Following the conclusion of the civil war, many film professionals were forced into exile.
Under the new regime, censorship was implemented, and all films released in Spain were required to be dubbed into Spanish. Notable directors from this era included Ignacio F. Iquino, known for El difunto es un vivo (1941), Rafael Gil with Huella de luz (1941), Juan de Orduña’s Locura de amor (1948), Arturo Roma, José Luis Sáenz de Heredia with Raza (1942, scripted by Franco himself), and especially Edgar Neville, who directed La torre de los siete jorobados (1944). Another significant work from this period was Fedra (1956) by Manuel Mur Oti.
CIFESA emerged as the most profitable production company of the time, with feature films inspired by significant historical events and figures receiving approval from authorities and often resonating well with audiences.
The 1950s marked the birth of two major film festivals in Spain: the San Sebastián Film Festival was inaugurated on September 21, 1953, and has continued without interruption since then, while the first International Film Week in Valladolid, known as Seminci, took place in 1956.
