This Tuesday, the Festival de Málaga, organised by Malaga City Council through Malaga Procultura, paid a heartfelt tribute to José Luis Cienfuegos, one of the key figures in the transformation of film festivals in Spain, who died suddenly in December 2025. Held as part of the festival, the event concluded with by awarding a posthumous Biznaga de Honor and screening of one of his favourite films, 'Tren de sombras’ (Train of Shadows), by José Luis Guerín.

Leading representatives of the Spanish film and audiovisual industry joined in the tribute: Fernando Méndez-Leite, President of the Film Academy; José Luis Rebordinos, Director of the San Sebastian Festival; Mariona Viader and Javier Estrada, co-directors of SEMINCI, and Juan Antonio Vigar, Director of the Festival de Málaga.

Méndez-Leite recalled the profound mark that Cienfuegos left on the Spanish film scene and stressed that "rarely have I witnessed such unanimity about the impact of the work of someone who disappears so soon". "The work of festival programmers is fundamental to cinema and he changed everything from top to bottom," he said.

José Luis Cienfuegos began his career in the Gijón Festival press department, where he soon took on a decisive role in the evolution of the event. In 1995, he made the leap to management, a position he held for 16 years, from which he turned the Asturian event into a fundamental gateway to Spain for the most daring and stimulating filmmakers on the international scene. Its programming promoted new trends emerging in global cinema, without losing sight of dialogue with the history of the medium.

During his speech, the director of the San Sebastian Festival, José Luis Rebordinos, evoked those beginnings, and the passion for film and the cultural vision that defined the work of Cienfuegos, whom he met "when we were both very young" and took over the reins of the Asturian event, which he completely transformed. "José Luis was a whirlwind.

The Gijón years will remain forever in the history of film festivals in Spain; Cienfuegos was passionate about programming and lived the festival 24 hours a day".

In 2012, Cienfuegos took over the direction of the Seville Festival, where he consolidated the event as a reference for European and contemporary arthouse cinema, while strengthening its links with the Spanish and continental industry. His work contributed decisively to strengthening the role of festivals as meeting places for creators, professionals and audiences.

In 2023 he arrived in Valladolid to take over the direction of Valladolid International Film Week (SEMINCI), probably the biggest challenge of his career. For three editions he left his unmistakable stamp at the helm of the event, remaining faithful to the history and spirit that have characterised the festival, while at the same time promoting a necessary renewal.

Mariona Viader, co-director of SEMINCI and close collaborator of Cienfuegos, recalled both the professional dimension of the man who was one of the great renovators of the festival model in Spain and his human side. "Those of us who knew him feel that he belongs a little bit to all of us," she said, before highlighting his "extreme generosity towards the people he worked with, the filmmakers and the industry".

Javier Estrada, also co-director of SEMINCI, shared his personal and professional memories of Cienfuegos, with whom he worked closely, and explained the reason for choosing 'Tren de sombras' for this tribute. Although Cienfuegos "never liked the idea of choosing a favourite film", Guerín's work says a lot about what the late director was like: "an enthusiast of the past and of the history of cinema who, at the same time, enjoyed the avant-garde and the advancement of film language".

One of the most emotional moments of the event was the posthumous awarding of the Biznaga de Honor to Mariona Viader and Javier Estrada, representing his legacy at SEMINCI. The award was presented by Juan Antonio Vigar, director of the Festival de Málaga, who highlighted the figure of the honouree as "one of the most relevant people for Spanish and international cinema, who always had the will to make emerging and avant-garde creators known", something he demonstrated throughout his career in Gijón, Seville and Valladolid.

Cienfuegos always defended a multifaceted view of the film ecosystem, underlining the fundamental role played by distributors, producers, critics and the media in promoting arthouse cinema. With his work, he contributed decisively to transforming the way festivals are understood in Spain, turning them into habitable spaces in which film becomes a pillar for celebrating culture and life.