Sevillian filmmaker Alberto Rodríguez will receive the Giraldillo of Honor at the 22nd Seville European Film Festival, in recognition of one of the most consistent, coherent, and admired careers in contemporary Spanish cinema. As both director and screenwriter, Rodríguez has built —from Seville, and often using a city far removed from postcard imagery as a setting— a deeply European body of work, rooted in the social and moral realities of his time. His films explore themes such as corruption, memory, identity, and guilt, with a distinctive authorial vision and an extraordinary precision in staging.
“This Giraldillo of Honor is, above all, a tribute to a way of seeing —to a filmmaker who has taught us to rediscover our own city, and to understand the power of cinema as a window to other worlds,” said Angie Moreno during her remarks.
From his debut with El Factor Pilgrim to essential titles such as ‘7 Vírgenes’, ‘Grupo 7’, ‘La isla mínima’ —winner of ten Goya Awards—, ‘El hombre de las mil caras’, ‘Modelo 77’, the recent ‘Los Tigres’, or the acclaimed series ‘La Peste’, Rodríguez’s work has been instrumental in redefining Spain’s audiovisual narrative, establishing Andalusia as a creative powerhouse.
“With this award, the Seville Festival honors a filmmaker who has carried the name of his city to the heart of European cinema, always maintaining a deep commitment to the stories, characters, and landscapes of the South,” emphasized Manuel Cristóbal, the festival’s director.
