In everybody´s life, and mine is no exception, there is a defining moment or a turning point where chance, luck, fate, destiny or whatever you want to call it, shows you a new way and presents challenges.
Then on November 1960, I received Niels Larsen´s famous letter and quickly packed my few belongings and returned to Madrid.
During the 1960s, many foreign movies were filmed in Spain. Samuel Bronston made Spain fashionable and countless technicians, actors, second unit directors and others in the industry who weren´t successful in the USA achieved a higher quality of life in Madrid than they could have ever afforded in their own country.
This film, financed with money from five or six different sources, marked the beginning of my friendship with Orson Welles. From the very first moment, a mutual feeling of friendship and interest between us was established and would continue almost until his death a few years later.
When I returned from the USA I tried to get over my experience with Welles by devoting my time mainly to distribution. At the time I worked with Cineteca, S.A., which intended and actually managed to become a prestigious company in promoting original lenguage films.
From 1975 to 1982 political activity and the events that took place were so important that professional matters were relegated to the back burner. One needed to work and make money to cover basic needs, but the celebration, the excitement, emotion and passion were out there on the street.
In 1983, one of the most important events in my professional career occurred. Having publicly supported the Socialist Party, people within the movie industry thought that I was very close to the new government. The truth of the matter is that I had only met Alfonso Guerra and Felipe González in the house of Julio Feo, who was the Chief of Cabinet, and that was just about it.
In 1985, having settled down, provisionally, in a luxurious office on Velazquez St nº18, though with my mind set on purchasing another office on nº 12 of the same street, I decided to go for it all. For me, that meant to continue working with a talented person like Fernando Trueba, but to also set my sights on other big shots, and the most sought after director at the time was Carlos Saura.
The most outstanding things in my professional life have happened after 1985, and although the over 100 films I have produced are very recent history and I don´t want to go into a detailed account about them, I wish to highlight those people who have helped make these movies a reality.
My favorite director is José Luis García Sánchez. His human quality, integrity, generosity, sense of humor and solidarity towards others make of him the best person I know.
Francisco Betriu is a director whose future films promise to be better than his last.
My most popular director, Santiago Segura, is however the least known one.
Between 1994 and 1997 I produced almost 50 films, which kept me in a constant state of frenzy. With the help of Antonio Saura, Enrique de las Casas and Fernando Labrada, I was able to set up the Media Cultural Foundation and Media Business School.