– Alberto San Juan and David Verdaguer topline this political thriller based on the book by David Jiménez and set in the milieu of journalism
David Verdaguer and Alberto San Juan on the set of El director (© Lander Larrañaga)
El director is the title of the new outing by Dani de la Orden, a thriller teetering halfway between journalism and politics. Shot in Catalonia, it tells the story of an uphill battle to preserve the very values that should underpin the craft of journalism: integrity, honesty and an objective search for the truth.
The film stars David Verdaguer (the winner of two Goya Awards: for Jokes & Cigarettes and Summer 1993, seen last year in Away) and Alberto San Juan (a Goya Award winner for The People Upstairs and Bajo las estrellas; also currently on the cinema listings in La luz), who are flanked by actor-director Fernando Colomo (The Delights of the Garden), Xavi Sáez (the series Puberty – Secrets, Lies and Human Castles), Anna Alarcón (Join Me for Breakfast), Nacho Fresneda (the series The Ministry of Time) and Pau Durá (Birds Flying East). It also boasts special appearances by Carmen Machi (a Goya winner for Spanish Affair, glimpsed recently in Bitter Christmas), Emma Vilarasau (A House on Fire), Willy Toledo (in this year’s Alive) and Fernando Cayo (Reversión).
Based on the book of the same name by David Jiménez, the screenplay has been penned by Alejandro Hernández (winner of the Goya Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Todas las mujeres) and Michel Gaztambide (Goya Award for Best Original Screenplay for No Rest for the Wicked). Through the experience of a newspaper editor, it recounts the intimate story of the obstacles hindering him from doing a truthful job, casting a critical eye over the complex political and social inner workings of modern-day Spain using a realistic visual style that verges on documentary.
The film tells of how, after more than 20 years covering wars and conflicts, correspondent David Jiménez (played by David Verdaguer) is appointed as the editor-in-chief of one of the main national newspapers. Right from the start, his championing of a rigorous brand of journalism butts heads with the hidden interests of the newspaper, safeguarded by Cardenal (played by Alberto San Juan), the publisher. Soon, David’s skills at the head of the editorial department will be put to the test.
Following the success of A House on Fire (the highest-grossing Catalan-language feature ever, having sold more than three million tickets and been crowned with the Goya Award for Best Original Screenplay), Dani de la Orden is cementing his reputation as one of the most prolific and versatile directors on the Spanish scene. After helming the diptych Barcelona Summer Night and Barcelona Christmas Night, he broke through to mainstream audiences with successful comedies of the likes of El pregón, El mejor verano de mi vida and Mamá o papá, among others, and has also been involved in series such as Elite. Pre-production is already under way on the sequel to A House on Fire, titled Casa en cenizas, the shoot for which will take place at the end of the year, with the same creative and screenwriting teams on board, although it will centre on the character played by Alberto San Juan and will be set on a property that the main family from the first film owns in the Catalan Pyrenees.
El director is being produced by Mercedes Gamero and Pablo Nogueroles for Beta Fiction Spain, Ana Eiras and Alberto Aranda for Sábado Time, David Jiménez, Manuel Tera and Manu Montejo for Cardinal Content, and Historias de un Director SL. It boasts the involvement of HBO Max, RTVE and 3Cat as well as funding from the ICAA and ICEC. It will be out in Spanish movie theatres on 27 November, courtesy of Beta Fiction Spain.
(Translated from Spanish)
