Karlos Alastruey
Karlos Alastruey | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Carlos Francisco Alastruey Merino August 26, 1963 Bilbao, Spain |
| Education | University of the Basque Country (PhD in Physical Sciences) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2003–present |
| Employer | Public University of Navarre |
Karlos Alastruey Merino (born 1963 in Bilbao) is a Basque film director, screenwriter, professor and researcher.
He holds a PhD in Physical Sciences from the University of the Basque Country and is an associate professor at the Public University of Navarre, where his teaching and research focus on applied physics and automatic control. He also teaches documentary filmmaking and produces science-related documentaries within the university environment.[1][2] Alongside his academic career, he has developed an extensive career as an independent filmmaker, with a filmography encompassing fiction feature films, documentaries, short films and experimental works.[3]
Alastruey is a member of the Baháʼí community.[4]
Film career
Following his debut with El bosque de la luz, Alastruey made several short films and documentaries, including Roca Bon: en busca de lo sublime, which received the Best Arts in Film award at the Napa Sonoma Wine Country Film Festival.
In 2009, he directed his first fiction feature film, Lodo, which received several awards at international film festivals and marked the beginning of a period focused on auteur feature filmmaking.[5][6] In the following years, he released, among other works, La mirada negra, Anamorphosis, El ángel entre la niebla, La extensión del cielo, Nexos and El espíritu de la escalera.[7]
From the mid-2010s onwards, he combined feature filmmaking with an extensive production of fiction and experimental short films. From 2023, his work increasingly combined fiction and documentary filmmaking, with titles including Entre el agua y la tierra, Abel Azcona: el artista detonante, La guerra de las máquinas, La isla and Ane fuera de la caverna, several of which premiered at international festivals in Greece, France, India and Kosovo.[8]
His filmography comprises more than forty works; he has worked in fiction, documentary and experimental cinema across short, medium-length and feature films.
Early works (2003–2008)
His first short film, El bosque de la luz, was awarded the Gold Medal of UNICA in 2004.[9] He subsequently alternated between fiction short films and documentaries focusing on education and on various contemporary artists and creators, including Escuelas, Diálogos con Juan Leyva, Los ojos de Siran and El arte del espíritu.[10][11]
During this early period, he was particularly active in short filmmaking, experimenting with different narrative and visual approaches. As Alastruey explained in an interview given on the occasion of the release of Lodo, works such as Ardia and, particularly, La sombra—written by Javier Alastruey—saw him begin to develop expressive devices such as conceptual editing and a narrative approach based on silence and the association of images, features that would characterize much of his later filmography.[12]
In 2008, he directed the documentary Roca Bon: en busca de lo sublime, about the work of painter Ferrán Roca Bon. The film received the Best Arts in Film award at the Napa Sonoma Wine Country Film Festival in California.[13]
Consolidation as a director (2009–2014)
Alastruey became established as a director with the release of Lodo (2009), his first fiction feature film.[14]
The film received several distinctions at international festivals, including being named a finalist at the Manchester Festival of Fantastic Films, the Golden Aphrodite for Best Soundtrack at the Cyprus International Film Festival, the award for Best Surrealist Film at the New York City International Film Festival, and several awards at the Los Angeles Reel Film Festival, including Best Director.[15][16]
Between 2010 and 2014, he directed the feature films La mirada negra, Anamorphosis, El ángel entre la niebla, La extensión del cielo, Nexos and El espíritu de la escalera. During this period, he developed an auteur style increasingly characterized by symbolic and fantastic elements. Anamorphosis received the Best Director and Best Soundtrack awards in the surrealist film category at the 2011 New York City International Film Festival.[7]
At the same time, he continued to make documentaries, including Roca Bon: la geometría del alma.[17]
Recent work (2015–present)
From 2015 onwards, Alastruey increased his production of short films, combining fiction and experimental works with new documentary projects. During this period, his works included AntiBasque, Short Lives in a Large Room, Worldlines, Kolore Ezkutuak, Rhea and subsequent installments of the Worldlines series.[18]
In 2023, his feature film Entre el agua y la tierra premiered at the Kimolos International Film Festival in Greece. The film received favorable reviews, with critics highlighting its contemplative character and use of visual symbolism.[19][20]
Since then, he has developed fiction and documentary projects in parallel. The latter include Abel Azcona: el artista detonante, about artist Abel Azcona;[21] La guerra de las máquinas, focusing on the ethical and legal implications of the use of artificial intelligence in armed conflicts;[22] and La isla, co-directed with John Petrizzelli and focusing on the diaspora of the Annobonese people.[23]
In fiction, he premiered Ane fuera de la caverna at the Independent and Experimental Film Festival of Kerala in India, while his short films El año en que me miraste, Aurora I and The Shortest Day of the Year were presented at international festivals in France and Greece. In 2026, he also began shooting Urtaro Ikusezina (Estación invisible), his first feature film shot entirely in the Basque language.[24]
Style
Following his early works, from short films such as Ardia and, particularly, La sombra, Alastruey's cinema increasingly incorporated conceptual editing, narrative use of silence, and symbolic, fantastic and surrealist elements. This development found some of its most representative expressions in feature films such as Lodo and Anamorphosis.[25][26]
In his more recent work, reviews of Entre el agua y la tierra have highlighted the film's contemplative character, its use of landscape as a narrative element, and its symbolic and spiritual mise-en-scène.[19][20]
During this period, he has combined fiction filmmaking with documentaries addressing artistic, social and political issues.[27] Among the latter, La guerra de las máquinas and La isla address contemporary issues relating, respectively, to the ethical and legal implications of artificial intelligence in armed conflicts and to the diaspora of the Annobonese people.[22][23]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Format | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | El bosque de la luz | Short film | Fiction | UNICA Gold Medal (2004). |
| 2004 | Escuelas | Medium-length film | Documentary | Alastruey's first documentary. |
| 2004 | Ainhoa y el mar | Short film | Fiction | |
| 2005 | Diálogos con Juan Leyva | Short film | Documentary | About artist Juan Leyva. |
| 2005 | Los ojos de Siran | Short film | Documentary | |
| 2006 | El arte del espíritu | Medium-length film | Documentary | A reflection on art and spirituality. |
| 2006 | Destrucción | Short film | Fiction | |
| 2006 | Ardia | Short film | Fiction | Beginning of a more symbolic period. |
| 2008 | La sombra | Short film | Fiction | Written by Javier Alastruey. |
| 2008 | Roca Bon: en busca de lo sublime | Short film | Documentary | Best Arts in Film award. |
| 2008 | The Prayer | Short film | Fiction | |
| 2008 | Slaughterhouse | Short film | Experimental | |
| 2009 | Lodo | Feature film | Fiction | First feature film; multiple awards. Music by Sergio Lasuén. |
| 2009 | Bip | Short film | Fiction | |
| 2010 | La mirada negra | Feature film | Fiction | Starring Ana Caramés and Ander Janín. |
| 2010 | Roca Bon: la geometría del alma | Feature film | Documentary | Second part of the Roca Bon project. |
| 2011 | Anamorphosis | Feature film | Fiction | Best Director and Best Soundtrack awards (NYCIFF). |
| 2011 | Ada | Short film | Fiction | |
| 2012 | El ángel entre la niebla | Feature film | Fiction | |
| 2012 | La extensión del cielo | Feature film | Fiction | |
| 2014 | Nexos | Feature film | Fiction | |
| 2014 | El espíritu de la escalera | Feature film | Fiction | |
| 2016 | AntiBasque | Medium-length film | Experimental | |
| 2016 | Short Lives in a Large Room | Short film | Experimental | |
| 2016 | Worldlines | Short film | Fiction | First installment of the Worldlines series. |
| 2016 | En algún momento de la noche | Feature film | Fiction | |
| 2017 | Kolore Ezkutuak | Short film | Fiction | |
| 2017 | Ane y las estrellas | Short film | Fiction | |
| 2021 | Rhea | Short film | Fiction | |
| 2023 | Entre el agua y la tierra | Feature film | Fiction | Premiered in Kimolos, Greece. Music by Sergio Lasuén. |
| 2023 | Worldlines III | Short film | Fiction | Third installment of the series. |
| 2024 | Abel Azcona: el artista detonante | Feature film | Documentary | About artist Abel Azcona. |
| 2024 | La guerra de las máquinas | Feature film | Documentary | About artificial intelligence and armed conflicts. |
| 2024 | Worldlines IV | Short film | Fiction | Fourth installment of the series. |
| 2024 | El camino a Lindux | Short film | Fiction | |
| 2025 | Bifurkacioni | Medium-length film | Documentary | Co-directed with Myriam Cruz. |
| 2025 | El año en que me miraste | Short film | Fiction | Premiered at the Cannes Short Film Corner. |
| 2025 | Aurora I | Short film | Fiction | Premiered in Kimolos, Greece. |
| 2025 | The Shortest Day of the Year | Short film | Fiction | Co-directed with Ifigenia Dimitriou. |
| 2026 | La isla | Short film | Documentary | Co-directed with John Petrizzelli. Ferfilm Award. |
| 2026 | Ane fuera de la caverna | Feature film | Fiction | Premiered in Kerala, India. Music by Germán Ormaechea. |
| 2026 | Salto al vacío | Short film | Experimental | Private premiere in Pamplona. |
| 2026 | El aliento de Leire | Short film | Documentary | Premiered at the Alexandria Short Film Festival. |
Awards and recognition
| Year | Work | Festival or organization | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | El bosque de la luz | UNICA | Gold Medal |
| 2008 | Roca Bon: en busca de lo sublime | Napa Sonoma Wine Country Film Festival | Best Arts in Film |
| 2010 | Lodo | New York City International Film Festival | Best Surrealist Film |
| 2010 | Lodo | Los Angeles Reel Film Festival | Best Director |
| 2011 | Anamorphosis | New York City International Film Festival | Best Director |
| 2011 | Anamorphosis | New York City International Film Festival | Best Soundtrack |
| 2017 | Kolore Ezkutuak | Top Shorts | Best Experimental Film |
References
- ↑ "Carlos Francisco Alastruey Merino". Public University of Navarre, Research Observatory. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- ↑ "Personal Docente e Investigador". Public University of Navarre. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
- ↑ "Karlos Alastruey". Video Interview Project. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- ↑ "Foro 2009". Foro Espiritual (in Spanish). 2009. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
- ↑ "El director Karlos Alastruey estrena su primer largometraje, 'Lodo'". Diario de Navarra. 13 May 2009. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- ↑ "Un filme de Karlos Alastruey, seleccionado en el Festival de Cine Fantástico de Manchester". Diario de Navarra. 12 October 2009. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Filmografía de Karlos Alastruey". FilmAffinity. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
- ↑ "La nueva película del navarro Karlos Alastruey, con Chica Sobresalto, se estrenará en Grecia". Diario de Navarra. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- ↑ "Festival of Nations 2004 – Award Winners". UNICA. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- ↑ "Programme CinéEspaña 2006" (PDF). Festival CinéEspaña. 2006. p. 11. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
- ↑ Alastruey, Karlos (2007). "Los ojos de Siran: el quinto personaje de Escuelas" (PDF). TK. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
- ↑ "Me gusta vaciar de texto las películas". Diario de Navarra. 13 May 2009.
- ↑ "Primer informe del Observatorio Cultural de los Españoles en el Mundo" (PDF). Fundación IDEAS. 2011. p. 156. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
- ↑ "El director Karlos Alastruey estrena su primer largometraje, 'Lodo'". Diario de Navarra. 13 May 2009. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
- ↑ "La ópera prima de un profesor de la UPNA gana el Festival de Cine Fantástico de Manchester". Diario de Navarra. 20 October 2009. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
- ↑ "2010 Award Winners". Los Angeles Reel Film Festival. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
- ↑ "Roca Bon: la geometría del alma". Filmoteca de Navarra. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
- ↑ "Karlos Alastruey – Biofilmography". Shortfilmwire (Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Market). Retrieved 22 July 2026.
- 1 2 Patrick Foley (3 April 2025). "Between Earth and Water (Entre el Agua y la Tierra) – Review". UK Film Review. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
- 1 2 Hannah Cronk (25 April 2025). "Between Earth and Water". Film Threat. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
- ↑ "Abel Azcona: el artista detonante". IMDb. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
- 1 2 "La guerra de las máquinas". IMDb. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
- 1 2 "La isla". IMDb. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
- ↑ Diario de Navarra...
- ↑ "Me gusta vaciar de texto las películas". Diario de Navarra. 13 May 2009. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
- ↑ "Alastruey, Karlos – VideoChannel Interview Project". VIP – VideoChannel Interview Project. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
- ↑ "Filmografía de Karlos Alastruey". FilmAffinity. Retrieved 22 July 2026.