“Discovering José Padilla”, is the personal vision of its directors, Susana Guardiola and Marta Figueras, in which we get to know the man behind some of his most popular songs, but also a few great orchestral themes: “Princesita”, “El amor eres tú” and tangos like “El taita del Arrabal”, which are little known by the general public.

Discovering José Padilla for our times has been a journey to the output of a composer who writes from the soul, something which is in the essence of his songs. “When an artist speaks from the soul, he reaches everyone and becomes universal. José Padilla had the privilege of being born with a special ability and a unique talent. But it is the emotion that keeps on ensuring the music reaches everyone.” That is something we have sought to transmit when reinterpreting his music and exploring his character.

Eugenia Montero Padilla, the niece and biographer of the composer, has accompanied us on this journey, offering valuable advice on the life and work of Padilla. Finding out about the letters José Padilla and Lydia Ferreira wrote to each other, the great love they shared, has been inspirational in defining the epistolary form of the discourse.

But we have also revisited his music adapting it to rhythms like Jazz, with the help of artists like Andrea Motiswho reinterprets “La Violetera” for us, the great Tango singer, Adriana Varela, who rediscovers all the strength of Taita del Arrabal, and the mezzo soprano María José Montiel, who paid homage to the composer in a spectacular concert in Madrid’s Teatro de la Zarzuela, not to forget the inclusion of street artists like Street Opera in Buenos Aires and Made in Barcelona, who perform Padilla’s songs on the street, earning the applause of a spontaneous audience… demonstrating with their performances that the music of José Padilla continues to sound with the same magic today as when it was composed.

We have combined archive material and offer some footage shot by José Padilla himself, “Athens Venice, Rome, Istanbul… wonderful cities, one after the other, like a series of living postcards, full of colour and of life. And my music was nurtured and enriched by those new landscapes” A fearless traveller, Padilla captured in each city something of its inspiration.

And also contemporary footage of Almeria, Barcelona, Madrid, Buenos Aire, footage which, in a subjective and intuitive way, we strive to make the past interact with the present, following the footsteps of this visionary and extraordinary musician who conceived of music as a total spectacle.

Soundtrack: José Padilla

A FILM DIRECTED BY: Marta Figueras y Susana Guardiola

A PRODUCTION BY: Promarfi Futuro 2010, S.L. / Contentto People / Savitel TV, S.L. / Tarannà Films, S.L. / Stories By Susana Guardiola S.L. / Coraca Producciones S.L. / Radio Televisión Española, S.A.

WITH THE SUPPORT OF: Catalan Films / Ministerio de Cultura ICAA / Institut Catala de les Empreses Culturals ICEC / Ibermedia / Institut Ramon Llull

WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF: À punt

A PRODUCTION BY: Marta Figueras / Giovanna Ribes / Felicitas Raffo & Andrés Longares / Iraida Gonzalez / Susana Guardiola

Executive production: Marta Figueras / Giovanna Ribes / Pamela Livia Delgado

RTVE’s delegated production: Andrés Luque

Associated production: Cortijo Social Media / Menos Lobos / César Martínez Herrada / Alba Sotorra / Cinema Productions / Charlotte Uzu / Film Buró Producciones Internacionales, S.L.

SCRIPT: Mercè Clascà / Lula Gómez / Susana Guardiola / Marta Figueras

JOSÉ PADILLA VOICE OVER: Dolores Payás

BASED ON THE BIOGRAPHY “JOSÉ PADILLA, LA PASIÓN DE LA MÚSICA” BY EUGENIA MONTERO PADILLA

Musical advisor: Eugenia Montero DIRECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Josep María Civit EDITING: Adrián Silvestre DIRECT SOUND: Arturo Quesada / Natxo Ortuzar VOICE JOSÉ PADILLA: Víctor Pi WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF: Eugenia Montero, niece and biographer of José Padilla / F. Javier Baladía, writer and musician / Walter Piazza, Director of the Tango Academy of Buenos Aires In collaboration with: Facultad de Comunicación y Relaciones Internacionales Blanquerna Image and design: Cortijo Social Media Promotion and advertising: Cortijo Social Media / Ferran Jaime / Sara Martínez / Jaume Maneja / Daniela Sanabria / Natalia Selma Distribution: Film Buró Producciones Internacionales, S.L.