New Books Network Santiago Fouz-Hernández, "The Films of Bigas Luna" (Manchester UP, 2025)
Feb 20, 2026
Santiago Fouz-Hernández, Professor in Film and Iberian Studies at Durham University, offers a concise study of Bigas Luna’s filmography and research methods. He explores Bilbao’s impact, the Iberian Portraits trilogy, themes of food, sex and identity, haptic and meta-cinematic strategies, and archival discoveries. The conversation highlights structuring the book around thematic dualities and plans for further work.
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First Encounter With Bilbao
- Santiago Fouz-Hernández first encountered Bigas Luna watching Bilbao late at night on Spanish TV as a minor and felt captivated by its sexual themes.
- That early, secret viewing sparked a lifelong engagement leading to screenings, a podcast, and eventually this book.
Tribute Screenings Grew Into A Movement
- Santiago and Bigas Luna's daughter, Àgata Bigas, organized a one-off tribute that expanded into over 30 global screenings.
- The tribute and podcast grew into an international program that reinforced Santiago's research and public engagement.
Watch Films Many Times First
- Focusing research on repeatedly watching films and archival materials yields richer analysis than imposing preconceptions.
- Santiago combined repeated screenings, screenplays, reviews and archives to reconstruct reception and production contexts.
