Víctor Erice

Despite a small oeuvre, filmmaker and writer Víctor ERICE (1940, Spain) is regarded as one of the most renowned filmmakers from Spain. He first studied economics and politics before turning to film directing at Escuela Oficial de Cinematografia. He has written for and was editor of the Spanish film journal Nuestro Cine. After making several short films, he made his feature debut with the magical-realist classic El espíritu de la colmena (1973), which would attain a legendary status within Spanish cinema and influence future filmmakers like Guillermo Del Toro. His documentary about painter Antonio López García, El sol del membrillo (1992), won both the Jury Prize and the FIPRESCI Prize at Cannes. In 2014, the Locarno Festival awarded him with the Leopard of Honour.