Spanish filmmaker, scriptwriter and writer, with a background in History, Agustín Díaz
Yanes begins his path in cinema by writing scripts, later adapted by other directors
(mainly those of Baton Rouge and A solas contigo, films starring the actress Victoria
Abril). Almodóvar’s assistant in Atame! (1990), Diaz Yanes writes and directs his first
film in 1995, Nadie hablará de nosotras cuando hayamos muerto/Nobody Will Speak of
Us When We’re Dead, which turns out to be a big success among critics and the public,
awarded eight Goya Awards, including the award for best film, best director, best
screenplay, (and best actress to Victoria Abril), a piece of work which will be continued
by Solo quiero caminar (2008). After Sin noticias de Dios/Don't Tempt Me (2001, a
fantastic comedy, bringing together Penélope Cruz and Victoria Abril again), he signs
Alatriste (2006), starring Viggo Mortensen in the lead role, a portrait of 17th century
Spain adapting the five saga romances, Las aventuras del capitán Alatriste by Arturo
Pérez-Reverte. His most recent film, Oro, renews the partnership with Pérez-Reverte,
adapting one of latter’s unpublished short stories, which addresses the search by a group
of Spanish explorers for the El Dorado in the Amazon rainforest in the 16th century,
inspired by the expedition of the conquerors Lope de Aguirre and Núñez de Balboa.
Díaz Yanes is also the author of a novel, Simpatía por el diablo (2012, the title is a
tribute to the famous Rolling Stones’ song), which contains references to his friend and
writer Javier Marías, especially to Marías’ book, Los enamoramientos (2011). Agustín
Díaz Yanes will be one of the guests at the Lisbon & Estoril Film Festival and will
accompany the retrospective dedicated to his works.
