Marta Figueras and Susana Guardiola probe into the unknown life of a great artist in ‘Discovering José Padilla’

10/25 / 2020.- The Broadway multiplex hosted this Sunday the presentation of Discovering José Padilla, a documentary biopic that focuses on the unknown side of the artist and his surprising life. “We realized that we had to discover for the public the exciting and movie-like life that the author had,” said Susana Guardiola, who has co-directed the film with Marta Figueras.

Andrea Motis and her reinterpretation of “La Violetera”; the singer Adriana Valera with “Taita del Arrabal”, or the mezzo-soprano María José Montiel are some of the artists who have participated in the documentary. In addition, the filmmakers received  the help of the artist’s niece, Eugenia Montero, who acted as a guide during the shooting and without whom this documentary  feature “would not have been possible”, as the directors pointed out.

Discovering José Padilla tries to shed light  on the least known aspects of the artist’s life in order to  “recuperate a character that had been lost”, explained Marta Figueras. The documentary was recorded both in  Spain and in Buenos Aires due to the importance of the Argentinian capital in the composer’s career. “While shooting in Argentina we were able to confirm that Padilla is an international musician; being able to travel  there and make his music resurface has been exciting,” stated the directors.

Precisely today, October 25, the day of the film’s  premiere in the DOC. España  section of the 65 Seminci, marks the 60th anniversary of Padilla’s death. The artist’s relationship with cinema began in 1916 with his work for a Spanish-French film, and it was there that he began his cinematic collaborations, including his participation in more than 300 films and series. “It was a very long and very intense relationship”, said Eugenia Montero.

The main objective of Marta Figueras and Susana Guardiola is for the public to “discover someone who achieved a huge musical success in the 1920’s” and to make sure that “he continues to be a musical presence,  since an artist never dies as long as people continue listening to his  music”.

The documentary is a tribute to a composer  whose work and long trajectory were recognized by UNESCO as being “of international interest”. For this reason, the directors ended their presentation of the film by praising the man and the artist:  “Padilla was a hero, a great composer.”