The Ministry of Culture and Sports has completed the acquisition of the Berlanga archive. Luis García Berlanga was acquired for 357,000 Euros. After years of negotiations with the family, a goodwill agreement confirmed that 74 boxes containing a wide range of documents collected by the filmmaker during his life form part of the public state collections. The material is stored at Filmoteca Española, an affiliate of the Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA), which will oversee its preservation and distribution.
The Ministry has not yet confirmed whether this heritage will be moved to Valencia, despite a hint from the head of culture in an interview earlier this year. Culture states in a brief notice that the Berlanga Archive will continue to enrich the Spanish Film Library collections, without specifying a possible location in the filmmaker’s hometown.
The Berlanga family expressed hopes that their heritage could be preserved and exhibited in Valencia. “The best outcome is a physical space where my father’s legacy can be displayed. We want this to happen in Valencia,” said Fernando García-Berlanga, recipient of the Levante-EMV Award in 2021 in the Audiovisual Production category.
Another son, José Luis García-Berlanga, told Levante-EMV from the Prensa Ibérica group that the decision about a potential transfer to Valencia rests with the Ministry of Culture and the Generalitat. “I hope it goes to Valencia,” he remarked, noting that Ximo Puig might be excited to see the filmmaker’s personal archive in his hometown.
The eldest son, the family’s representative, indicated that no conditions were set by the descendants during negotiations with the ministry regarding a possible Valencia transfer.
Since the publication of last year, the Generalitat has indicated it does not want Luis García Berlanga’s corporate memory diluted after the centennial year and planned to offer a space for examination, sharing, and reflection of the director’s work and personal memories.
Presidential sources confirmed that the ministry is open in principle to the idea of routing the Berlanga dossier to Valencia, though no specific target has been confirmed and no official confirmation has been issued.
School grades and season tickets from Valencia CF
The archive includes a diverse range of materials from Berlanga’s career. The ministry notes that the documents residing at the Spanish Film Library will shed light on Spain’s cultural life in the last century and on one of its most influential artistic figures.
The collection is organized into several categories: personal and family documents, creative work, correspondence, awards, souvenirs and personal items, graphic documents, magazines and press clippings, and works created by others.
Personal materials include family photo albums, school notebooks, and documents from Berlanga’s time at school. The collection also contains items such as season tickets for Valencia Football Club and Christmas cards from other film figures.
Original scripts, whether typed or handwritten, with Berlanga’s notes and ideas, are among the works in the collection. There are multiple versions of some of his best-known films, including “That Happy Couple,” “Welcome Mr. Marshall!,” and other titles, along with numerous unfinished project scripts. The archive documents Berlanga’s clashes with the military and Franco-era censorship, offering firsthand insight into the era’s cultural landscape. It also includes a wide range of drafts, speeches, conference papers, and other writings spanning decades.
In addition to professional documents, the archive holds correspondence with prominent Spanish cinema figures such as Rafael Azcona, Juan Antonio Bardem, Basilio Martín Patino, Luis Ciges, and José Luis López Vázquez. Hundreds of awards, memorabilia, and personal items appear, including documents from the 1962 Oscar ceremony when “Plácido” was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film.
Photos, posters, drawings and ‘storyboards’
Graphic materials are central to Berlanga’s legacy: photographs on paper and film stock, negatives, and slides depicting personal, family, and professional moments. The director’s images from many films, as well as corporate and political activities, are preserved.
Among the items are numerous drawings by Berlanga, spanning a variety of themes. Some works are erotic, others depict characters, objects, or comic scenes. The drawings employ diverse media such as pencil, watercolor, and marker. The collection also includes notebooks with storyboards from films like “Welcome Back, Mr. Marshall!” and “Kalabuç,” as well as planning graphics for “That Happy Couple,” and location scouting files.
Complementing this are film posters featuring Berlanga and others, promotional materials from festivals, and a wealth of press clippings, interviews, and articles about Berlanga’s films across different outlets.
Collection increase
The Berlanga Archive will continue to enrich the Spanish Film Library’s holdings, following a model of acquisition and donation since 2018. The library has welcomed archives from Basilio Martín Patino, Félix Murcia, Cruz Delgado, and Iván Zulueta, among others. Some of these archives are part of a digitization initiative planned through 2026, funded by the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan with support exceeding ten million euros.