Valencian Eduardo Campoy, 68, will receive the gold medal at the 29th Forqué Awards, organized by Egeda (Organization for the Management of the Rights of Audiovisual Producers). Film producer, sort of The apple of your eye, bilingual lover or One franc, 14 pesetas.as well as recent box office hits such as Best summer of my life And Mom or dad will be awarded for his contribution to the development of the industry.

In addition to his work as a producer, he was president of FAPAE (Confederation of Spanish Audiovisual Producers) and the Film Academy, and for many years he devoted his time to defending the audiovisual sector and justification for the producers. Among all his films, he has received prestigious awards at various international festivals, as well as 92 Goya Award nominations with 20 awards.

In addition to working as a film and television producer, he directed four films: Zero copywhich he co-directed with José Luis Pacheco and which featured Fernando Fernán Gómez and Luis Suárez; alone with youperformed by Victoria Abril, Imanol Arias and Juan Echanove; Too much heartin which he worked with Victoria Abril, Manuel Bandera and Pastora Vega, as well as To the limitled by the cast Juanjo Puigcorbe, Lydia Bosch, Beatrice Dalle and Bud Spencer.

He would also add credits as a television producer on small screen series and films, from Thieves are coming to the office before Movistar original series supernormalnot forgetting such successes as House of Trouble for Antenna 3, Aladin for TVET and The Adventures of Captain Alatriste for Telecinco.

Among his latest productions, stand out Lord, give me patience (2017, Alvaro Diaz Lorenzo), Litus (2019, Daniel of the Order), Super Agent Mikey (2020, Alfonso Sanchez) or Everyone does (2021, Martin Cuervo). The Forqué Awards ceremony will take place on December 16 at the Ifema Municipal Palace in Madrid. But first, the producer takes stock of his career in Independent

Ask.- What does the Medal of Honor mean to you?

Reply.- He told me Enrique Cerezo directly on Egeda’s advice, and above all I am satisfied with the track record. When you look back, you realize that I’ve been making films for over 40 years and have been working as a technician for another 10 years, and I didn’t even count it! So to speak I’ve been working for 50 years, I could retire in the years I contributedbut hey, I’m really excited about it.

IN.- Fifty years in cinema, but what is your first memory of it?

A.- When I was sewing 8mm shorts at home with my brother. But for me it was Hobby. I I devote myself to cinema because I’m blind.

IN.- How?

A.- I always wanted to be a pilot, but when I was 14, I was given glasses and you can’t be a pilot with glasses, so I started making films. I have three brothers and a son who are pilots. I think if I dedicated myself to this, my life would be just like theirs.

“Technological changes mean there is much more freedom to experiment in film.”

IN.- What has changed the most since you started acting in films?

A.- The method of their manufacture is an industrial fact. Previously, they were made on the negative, and everything depended on it: both the filming system and the budgets… in post-production, if you wanted to change something, you had to take scissors and paste it in later. Technically, the industry has changed a lot, and directors now have freedom that they didn’t have before. They have the freedom to shoot within the stipulated time frame and assemble it because tests can be done without the time issues that used to be the case when you needed an editor and it took days to make edits, but now it’s a matter of minutes. And I’m not talking about this for a long time, but about such directors as Victor Erice who used this technique. You had to be clear about what you wanted to do. Also now actors can test and suggest takes, you can get a lot more out of them.

IN.- Another change has come with the platforms: are they harming or benefiting Spanish cinema?

A.- I don’t know about the movies, I think they did little or nothing at all except Snow Society. But for audiovisual purposes, yes, because previously only Antena 3, Telecinco and Radio Televisión Española made them. With the pandemic, the platforms began to produce many series, gave work to directors, screenwriters, etc.

IN.- You yourself were the director. Why did you choose production?

A.- That was the process when I made my first film in 1989. alone with you and I found that to make a film you have to devote a year or a year and a half to it. But, as a producer I can make four a year. Moreover, I am not the producer who seeks financing and assigns it to the executive producer, but I am involved with the directors in all the preparation, directing the actors, the technical staff, the musicians… I am there all day. I film with them, and then I do all the post-production, I am very passionate about artistic work. I realized that if I was producing I wouldn’t be able to devote all the time I needed to direct, there came a point where it was no longer viable unless I closed the production company.

IN.- How do you see the artistic side of the industry today?

A.- Yes, a lot of things are being done and for the better. One theory says that you can produce little and well, but I have my own theory, namely: The more you produce, the easier it is to get more good product.. Not all directors achieve success with their films, in fact everyone has one flop film, and the same thing happens with producers, both here and in the US, Germany, France… this is not true if we focus on four producers it will all work out well. when did it come out Alcarrasno one thought that this would happen, even with five little wolvesnor when Amenabar did Thesis. No one knows which film will have the most talent, and the more we open up the range, the more opportunities appear, just like with lottery tickets.

IN.- Is it difficult to bet on new talent or diversify resources?

A.- No, it was more difficult before. There were terrifying statistics that spoke about this: Of the 100 directors who made one film, only 23 made a second.. Today this is not the case because the process is simpler. There are also directors who make TV series that can be used for film and who have a lot of experience. Nobody knows who was in charge Money robbery, but there are five directors, although people only remember those who directed the first chapters. Also happens with Immortal, Unit…you can advise them all to make a film since they have experience in TV series…while In the past, directors would go from making two short films to a film.it was a more difficult jump.

“Every director has a failed film”

IN.- What do you think about the introduction of artificial intelligence in filmmaking?

A.- It will be like everything else: if used well, it will be a help, and if used poorly, it will be terrible. I understand there are a lot of concerns, but I think we all need to work on doing this well. The examples they set for us are very bad, but we must look at it positively and use them for good deeds. You cannot put a goal on the field, but it must be regulated. In Venice you can see hanging counterfeit products at Loewe doors and no one is stopping them. You can have a fake or an original and the store clerks know that whoever buys the fakes will never have access to the originals, they are not their audience and they don’t care.

IN.- He also starred in TV series. How is being a producer different?

A.- Series are easier because the owners are the networks, this gives you financial peace of mind so you can focus on the product. But the product is the same: it has actors, directors, technicians… and you put the same passion and interest into it. According to the budget, In movies you have to force yourself to devote three minutes a day to this, and in TV series it’s seven.. You need to go faster.

IN.- Could you choose one of your films?

A.- No. Maybe I would have stayed with the one who opened the door for me to continue making films, and this was Zero copy. The main character was Fernando Fernan Gomez and I convinced him to do it for me for free. But choosing one out of 96 is very difficult.

IN.- Are the public’s habits the same as in the beginning?

A.- No, because people used to go to the cinema without knowing what movie they were going to see, now it’s unthinkable, they go to the event, and it has grown with the platforms. There is a significant decline in Spanish cinema because we invited actors and directors into the house… so, Why would they go to see Luis Tosar or Jose Coronado if they are at home every day in the same way they go to the movies? If they go, it will be for the sake of the event, as happened with Ace Bestas when he won Goya or family and children’s films. The latter happens because children have to be taken out of the house; they cannot watch TV all day. You can take them with you to the circus, amusement park, zoo or cinema. Hence the success Santiago Segura or I read Harlem, it’s one of the few movies that works.. The opposite happens with thriller, romantic films or horror films. Without an event, no one will see them. And now we have a problem that I don’t know how we will solve.