They lost a film to fascism. He rebuilt it like a detective chasing ghosts.
In 1948, the Spanish directors Juan Antonio Bardem and Luis García Berlanga made their first film together: "Paseo por una guerra antigua" ("Walk through an Ancient War"), now considered to be almost lost. In 2021, Léon Siminiani takes what's left of that film and builds a puzzle about war, Francoism and the creative process of two artists.
Direction
Siminiani's puzzle-box structure mirrors his subjects' genius
Editing
48 fragments reassembled into emotional coherence
Director
Elías León Siminiani
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Bardem and Berlanga became Spain's most celebrated auteurs; this 'lost' collaboration is their origin myth.
Franco's censors destroyed or hid countless films—Siminiani's work is part of a broader Spanish recovery project.
No ratings yet
Sign in to join the discussion — comments are spoiler-gated to your watch progress.
Discussion starters
ES
