Benito Zambrano

Born in the South of Spain, Benito Zambrano first studied drama for three years with a view to becoming a theater director. He then worked for the Spanish television as a photographer and a camera operator. After a while, he felt the urge to turn to movie-making. This was the early 1990s and, as there was no film school in Spain yet, he was awarded a fellowship to study at the San Antonio de Los Banõs, in Havana, Cuba. That event changed his life. He who, by his own admission, did not know anything about film making, spent two wonderful years there and not only did he learn the ropes of his trade but inspiration visited him as well, allowing him to write three scripts and direct a short El encanto de la luna llena (1995). Back in Spain, Zambrano had difficulty in finding a producer for his first feature film, but after two long years, he was finally backed by 'Antonio P. Perez', who did not shy away at such 'unbusinesslike' material as _Solas(1999)_. A bold but nice move since this sensitive story of a woman at bay proved a hit in Spain as well as a favorite of the festival circuit and of film critics. Since then the gifted but uncompromising director has made - besides a TV series - only two films, both of which full of humanity: Habana Blues (2005), the portrait of two Cuban musicians, and La voz dormida (2011), a war drama.