Valencia’s city leadership is organizing a two day gathering in Los Angeles on June 11 and 12 to honor the lasting journey of Luis Garcia Berlanga, the Valencian filmmaker whose work marked a crucial chapter in Spanish cinema during challenging times. The event coincides with Berlanga’s presence at the 34th Academy Awards, where his film competed for the Best Foreign Language Film award, highlighting a career that bridged regional roots with international recognition.
The tribute program offers a comprehensive reflection on Berlanga’s path through a period of dictatorship in Spain. It will feature curated screenings, archival displays, and moments that retrace the director’s life and career. A symbolic star is planned for the Hollywood Walk of Fame, underscoring the cultural impact Berlanga achieved beyond his home country, along with a culinary nod to his heritage through a paella tasting experience that celebrates Spanish hospitality.
The conference will culminate the Berlanga Year celebrations, aligning perfectly with Berlanga’s birthday on June 12. A local leader, the Deputy Mayor who also serves on the Urban Development Council, commented that there is no better way to honor the most universally recognized Valencian director than by orchestrating a thoroughly Berlanga themed celebration in the heart of Hollywood.
Historical notes recall Berlanga’s Los Angeles visit on April 5, 1962, when he attended the 34th Academy Awards with producer Alfredo Matas and actress Amparo Soler. The event is organized by the Valencia Cultural Point and the Ultramarino Cultural Laboratory, and will include screenings and programs designed to illuminate the journey of this filmmaker whose path has been less familiar to many audiences outside Spain.
A rich display of documents and media will bring to life the most pivotal moments of that voyage. Visitors will see nomination notices, the reception experiences in the United States, and the meetings with prominent stars of the era, including Jane Mansfield and Angie Dickinson. There will also be memories of Berlanga’s stay at the Beverly Hills Hotel, and a sequence of cocktails and receptions where he crossed paths with industry titans such as King Vidor, William Wyler, Billy Wilder, Frank Capra, and Fred Zinneman. The program will recount the progression of the 34th Academy Awards, the celebratory afterglow, and Berlanga’s eventual return to Spain, tying together the international exposure with his domestic chapters.
The event, titled Berlanga in Hollywood, is designed to serve as a vivid commemoration of a filmmaker who reached one of the highest honors in cinema through the Hollywood Academy, celebrating a career that widened the reach of Spanish storytelling on the world stage.