This weekend will feature the “Heart Beat” section’s spotlight, which brings together three films by Jonás Trueba and his father, Fernando Trueba, in a program supported by Mostra Espanha and the Spanish Embassy in Portugal.

From Jonás Trueba, audiences will be able to watch Vistillas (2026) and Los ilusos 13 + 13 (2026) in a joint screening at Cinema São Jorge on October 24 at 4:30 p.m. The first film was created for Jonás Trueba’s retrospective at the Centre Pompidou in 2026, where the Madrid-based filmmaker was invited to direct a film for the Où en êtes-vous? [Where Are You At?] collection, launched in 2014 with the aim of inviting filmmakers to reflect cinematographically on their work.

In the second film, we’ll get a glimpse into the free time of several filmmakers during periods when they aren’t making movies. The “13 + 13” in the title refers to the 2013 release of Los ilusos, a black-and-white version, plus the thirteen years that passed until 2026, when this new color version was released: “We were tempted to confront both versions, but finally we decided that they could coexist and add up, and the result is a film that seems fairer to us” explains the director.

Regarding the 2013 version, the director admits to drawing inspiration from the book Todo sigue tranquilo by Chusé Izuel, published in 1994 and reissued in 2021 by Caballo de Troya and edited by Trueba: “I devoured it. It made a huge impression on me. That’s why Los ilusos was heavily influenced by reading that book.”

This retrospective also aims to create a dialogue between Jonás Trueba’s work and his father Fernando Trueba’s second feature film, Chicho o mientras el cuerpo aguante (una comedia didáctica), bringing together two generations of filmmakers.

The 1982 film portrays the anti-Franco composer and philosopher Chicho Sánchez Ferlosio, presented in a restored version by ECAM from the original 16mm negative, under the supervision of Javier Mosqueda.

Chicho, son of the Falangist writer Rafael Sánchez Mazas, who devoted himself to writing songs of resistance against Franco, is shown here having distanced himself from political and social life, in his daily routine and reflections, alongside his partner Rosa. Fernando Trueba follows their conversations, songs, and digressions – rather than constructing a biography, he sought to make a film with the author of Gallo negro, gallo rojo, leaving room for his freedom of thought and his ways of being in the world, blending diary entries with fiction, music with the spoken word.

The film will be screened on October 25 at 3:30 p.m. at Cinema São Jorge – a unique opportunity not to be missed on the festival’s final day.

The idea for the film was born in July 1981, when Fernando Trueba and Óscar Ladoire approached Chicho Sánchez Ferlosio to perform a song in a film that Ladoire was preparing. The meeting turned into a session featuring about twenty songs, recorded on video, and sparked in Trueba the desire to dedicate a film to him. Before filming began, he proposed a pact: “We’ll be friends during the shoot. Or not. But not before.” Chicho accepted: “Then let’s do it and say no more.”

The film’s return was also a story of rediscovery. For years, Fernando Trueba had not attempted to restore it, believing that the original print might have been lost. It was only after he suggested to Javier Mosqueda, of the ECAM Rescata project, that they search for the negatives using the original title, “Chicho,” that the materials were located at the Filmoteca Española. Inside a 35mm can were the small reels of the original 16mm negative. From these, the ECAM Rescata project team recovered the original image and format, preserving the grain, color, and sound texture of the era. Forty-four years after its premiere, the restoration brings this film back into circulation, and Jonás Trueba’s Los Ilusos Films is now introducing it to new audiences.

A Moment with Jonás Trueba with free admission

On October 24, at 2:00 p.m. at the Cinema de São Jorge, there will also be a session In Conversation with Jonás Trueba, where the director will discuss his career and creative process, focusing on his second feature film: Los ilusos 13 + 13.

The session will be conducted in Spanish, without translation, by Cecilia Barrionuevo, co-director of programming at Doclisboa and programmer at Film at Lincoln Center.

With the support of Mostra Espanha and the Spanish Embassy in Portugal.