Juan Francisco A.

I was four years old when I went to the cinema for the first time. It was the first afternoon session, I don't remember the exact time, but I suppose it was around four o'clock. I went with my family and when the lights went out and the first frames started rolling, I didn't know how important it would be for me. It was the first time I saw Walt Disney's castle. It was 1989 and the movie theaters were projecting on their huge moving screens. I remember those screens being overwhelming. The next thing I remember was seeing some wolves adopting a little boy. I was watching The Jungle Book and I couldn't contain my excitement. The room was practically empty, and by the time my family realized, I was already glued to the screen, watching the giant acetate figures. At that moment, I wasn't aware of the crush I had just suffered that would go deep into my soul, merging with the marrow of my bones. Later, when I was twelve, I shot my first short film. My father had a mini-VHS 8mm video camera. At that time, I tried to read all the magazines and books I could, watched every documentary that revealed some secret about the inner workings of cinema. Six years later, I started working at a Blockbuster video store. There, I developed a good friendship with a colleague who was as in love with cinema as I was. Together, we made several short films, and our mini-DV camera was all we needed to practice narrative, with intention, a genre, and an arc in the characters. During this time, I worked as an extra in some movies and TV shows to see the gears of the shoots and learn everything I could. The following year, I started studying Fine Arts, which allowed me to develop my aesthetic sensitivity further. During my studies, I made more short films, always trying to challenge myself. During that time, I occasionally collaborated with l'Horta Media to make some short films. In 2016, I joined the Tercera Planta Films association, and with them, we made two short film festivals. I worked as an assistant director on a short film, and finally, in 2017, I carried out what I consider my opera prima, Punto Omega: Marta. This short film received recognition both nationally and in Europe. Currently, it is on the Cortos TV platform. I continue to train continuously, trying to make each project take me to a higher challenge. Now, I am working on the script for this feature film "Elena's Mirror," with the post-production of a short film "The Last Frontier," and with the pre-production of another short film "Clara's Bracelet," for which we are looking for financing with the production company I set up, which began operating in April of this year, El Mordisquito Films S.L.