José Antonio Félez: “Cinema has to attend to its renewal”
About to receive the Gold Medal in the 2021 edition of the Forqué Awards, José Antonio Félez, producer of films such as Isla Mínima, El Bola o The Great Spanish Family, analyzes the passage of time in cinema and provides his vision on the current state of the industry.
Whether posthumously or in the last stages of a life dedicated to the seventh art, recognitions in the world of cinema they arrive too late. Therefore, cases like that of José Antonio Félez are rare review, to the point that the producer comes to question, laughing, his own state of health.
The reality is that the producer is in “reasonably good health” and does not plan to leave this industry, which even today, in the midst of a whirlwind of projects promoted by large media platforms, he defines as “uncertain"Just as it was ten years ago, in the midst of the economic crisis; or just as it happened two decades ago, when since Tesela PC gave voice to emerging creators such as Achero Mañas so that they could create works as eternal as the Goya for the best film that he achieved The Ball (2000).
Despite the uncertainty, Félez has managed to give the necessary resources to voices that had stories to tell Spanish history. Whether from the PC Tiles itself or with Atypical Films, which he founded in 2009 with Cristina Sutherland, has been closely linked to the careers of filmmakers such as Alberto Rodriguez (The pilgrim factor (2000), The suit (2002), 7 Virgins (2005)…), Daniel Sánchez Arevalo (BlueDarkAlmostBlack (2006), Fat (2009), Cousins (2011)…) o Saints Amodeo (Astronauts (2003); dog head (2006). Not to mention the talent, outside of directing, that has grown to obtain prominent positions in the film world, such as director of photography Alex Catalan (The minimal island (2014), The man of a thousand faces (2016)…), or the screenwriter Rafael Cobos (Group 7 (2012), The minimal island (2014)…)
In this interview, Félez addresses his Gold Medal in the Forqué, but also reflects on the passage of time, the reality of the Spanish cinema ecosystem and the great needs of the industry for 2021 and the years to come.
Gold Medal in the Forqué 2021
How does recognition from the industry like the Gold Medal of the Forqué Award make you feel?
Con great illusion, since it is an award that is awarded, in some way, by your professional colleagues. That gives it a special value and meaning. Therefore, I receive it with great gratitude and great enthusiasm.
At the Gala itself there will be time for thanks, but... what do you consider to have been your essential pillars in your professional career?
Indeed, the thanks at the Forqué gala will necessarily have to be long, since there are many people to thank. There are some names that are better known and others that are less well known. Among directors and scriptwriters, I could name Achero Mañas, Alberto Rodríguez, Daniel Sánchez-Arévalo... Then, from a production perspective, I could name Daniel Goldstein, who unfortunately is no longer here; Carlos De Muns, Francisco Lázaro... All of them were people who were by my side and helped make things go well. Afterwards, we would also have to thank many people from the production team, directors of photography, musicians like Julio de la Rosa... Sincerely, It's a very long list and I hope I don't leave anyone behind.! And, of course, also Cristina Sutherland, co-founder of Atypical; or Iván Benjumea-Rey, who has been with me for many years. Still, I left a lot of people out.
The world of cinema is like this...
We are talking about a lot of people! Really, I believe that audiovisual, cinema, is a team effort. Both successes and failures are made from many hands and many heads. You can never forget that, no matter how good it is. In the end, You always need someone else to be able to carry out these projects.
Recognitions usually come at the end of careers. But this is not the case, right?
I asked myself the same question! When they told me the news at first I felt great excitement. However, afterwards I was left thinking. Do you already see me output? Afterwards, you find out that they gave it to RTVE a few years ago and you feel calmer. But no, I really enjoy working, I want to continue doing things and I find myself reasonably good health.
Promoting emerging talent
Even knowing that there are still stories to tell, how would you define your production methodology, that philosophy that, after all, has led the industry to recognize a trajectory?
I would say that doing things with rigor and with criteria. That's what I've always tried. I learned it from Elías Querejeta: Regardless of the size of the project, you have to do things right. I have always tried to carry out projects with caution, follow certain guidelines, repeat with the same people if they also wanted it, and set objectives and maintain them: they can be corrected over time, but one should not lurch.
In recent weeks, it has been said that a large part of their work has involved publicizing and supporting emerging talent. Has this been one of the main goals of your work?
We founded Tesela with that approach: start working with new talent, with directors without experience in feature films, and build a career with them. That was our goal. This is what I did with Achero, Albero Rodríguez, Santi Amodeo, Daniel Sánchez-Arévalo and many others. Obviously, over the years, we have continued working with some and, with others, our paths have parted.
Why choose this approach towards new creators?
I liked to believe that there were new stories. Since it was difficult for new directors to access sufficiently good production conditions, our objective was to provide them with the means so that their debut works had everything they needed to have. Then, if both parties were satisfied, we could go ahead and make a second or third film. And we have been lucky, because with some of them we have already had a long history! It must also be taken into account that this journey made with directors has also been carried out with technical equipment; People who are now references in different departments started with me. Álex Catalán, in photography; Manuela Ocón, to production management; Fernando García, to the locker room… It's something I'm very proud of.
Cinema: eternal uncertainty
Ten years ago, I defined the film industry with the term “uncertainty.”
I think that has not changed…
How do you see the industry today? Does uncertainty remain?
I see it the same. Everything is uncertain. It is true that we are not experiencing a financial crisis like ten years ago and that there is great activity. In fact, at the series level, large operators commission large projects, but it is also an uncertain situation. Because? ¡Because everything changes very quickly! As everything changes so quickly, not only the technique, but also the way of consumption, tastes, habits, distribution, relationships between the different audiovisual agents... There is great effervescence, but we must ensure that the industry and production can be maintained over time. Furthermore, a very important aspect is the need to attend to the renewal. We must ensure that films continue to be made, and that those that are made are plural and varied, which is something that I think has been lost. Ten years ago, films were made with much more diverse approaches, of different sizes and with very different objectives and themes. My feeling is that right now that has been lost. Before we had real gems. Now, I think that's at risk.
During 2021, films such as Brave Flash, Holy Spirit or even The belly of the sea with innovative approaches despite the low cost of their proposals. However, it is true that they have hardly had any experience or recognition from academics, as the Goya nominations show...
That's what I mean! You have chosen your examples very well. I would say that before it was much easier to achieve a certain visibility and distribution for those products. Now it is much more difficult, so there is a problem. Change in the industry occurred through renewal. There were new people who arrived and had different proposals and visions. Plus, you could do it with equipment that was just starting out. For this sector it is very important that new blood arrives. Cinema is still a profession. We can't forget that. Time and experience are very important to achieve high levels of professionalism. Professionals must come from below, learning from others who have passed through their site before for that renewal to occur. I think things are different now.
Do you think that the industry has focused on top-level projects supported by large media groups and that has meant that support for new creators could be set aside?
Honestly, whoever is in charge of production has objectives that will always be perfectly legal. If I need kitchen furniture, I don't order bathroom furniture. What I defend is that there have to be spaces so that, through different mechanisms, products with different approaches can be made. I believe that the two worlds can coexist. In recent years, partly due to the globalization that is happening in all areas, large companies have been created in the audiovisual sector. Obviously, these agents will do what they consider to achieve their objectives. Even with everything, what is necessary is for the ecosystem to coexist; that these large players and market drivers coexist, and that on the other hand there are small companies that can make more artisanal or different products. And, of course, these products will have to have a certain diffusion and visibility. That's the important thing! There is an audience for it.
tomorrow
A decisive change is approaching for the audiovisual industry: the new Audiovisual Law. In your opinion, what critical points should be addressed most urgently to help companies like Atypical overcome their present and future challenges?
It is a very complex issue. Even so, I would highlight that the norm should be balanced. That is what has to be achieved. The audiovisual ecosystem is very delicate and any exaggerated action can produce imbalances. And these imbalances are not desirable.
Briefly addressing the technique, have Atypical already begun to promote projects using virtualized production techniques? What is your opinion on this type of solutions both as a producer and as a viewer?
At Atipo, we are already using all these types of resources. What was previously shot with green or blue fabrics is now done with LEDs. We use this technique simply to make car sequences, since the system allows you to put the camera in any position. The truth is that we have not gone beyond this application. However, it is true that this technology, for making films of a certain genre such as science fiction or futuristic, offers impressive possibilities. I think it will become more and more important. But I sincerely believe that It doesn't work for all types of movies. Having physical locations with their imperfections and materiality give the production a very important character.
Atypical works on several projects, such as the film Model 77 by Alberto Rodríguez the series as Those in the last row o The snow girl for Netflix. Where are your future initiatives headed? Will you continue working alongside large platforms?
Beyond Model 77, of which we are in the post-production phase, we have made series with different platforms such as Movistar or Netflix. For now, we plan to continue combining the two types of production: those in which the initiative comes from Atypical, and then other orders proposed by the different platforms.
An interview by Sergio Julián Gómez
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