On October 5, 2026, the Filmoteca de Extremadura is celebrating Spanish Cinema Day and Audiovisual Archive Month with a selection of works by Manuel Pérez-Sala, a pioneer of amateur and documentary cinema in the region. The recovered film archive will be presented on October 7 at Madrid's Cine Doré.
This week, the Filmoteca is highlighting the cinematic heritage of Extremadura from the 1950s and 1960s through Pérez-Sala's films, made possible by the collaboration of the Pérez-Sala family. Coinciding with Spanish Cinema Day on October 6, the Filmoteca will showcase some of the most representative films of the filmmaker.
On October 6, the Filmoteca de Extremadura will screen 'Éxodo de salvación' (Ntra. Señora de la Montaña) (1954), 'Montehermoso, boda extremeña' (1957), 'Norba Caesarina' (1959), and 'Batalla de Flores' (1950s) in Cáceres at 7:30 PM and in Badajoz at 5:00 PM and 7:30 PM. These films provide exceptional testimony of mid-20th century Extremadura society, capturing traditions, celebrations, heritage, religiosity, and lifestyles documented by Pérez-Sala.
A film chronicler of his time
Manuel Pérez-Sala Pérez (1906-1986), originally from Novelda, developed a unique cinematic career in Cáceres. Self-taught and deeply connected to the social and spiritual life of the city, he used cinema as a tool for documentation, reflection, and value transmission. His notable works include 'Éxodo de salvación' (1954), 'Wolfram' (1956), 'Montehermoso, boda extremeña' (1957), 'Imperator' (1958), 'Norba Caesarina' (1959), and 'Égloga' (1961). His filmography is now an important source for understanding the social, cultural, and ethnographic memory of Extremadura during the 1950s and 1960s.
The recovery of 93 reels
Starting in 2023, the Filmoteca de Extremadura intensified its collaboration with the Pérez-Sala family, leading to the deposit of 93 film reels, along with documents and other materials related to the filmmaker's creative activity. This addition initiated a comprehensive process of research, cataloging, conservation, digitization, and dissemination. In May 2025, the Filmoteca publicly presented an initial selection of this recovered heritage, and thanks to significant collaboration with the Filmoteca de Catalunya, several of Pérez-Sala's films have been restored and digitized.
The archive arrives at Cine Doré
The significance of this recovery process will reach a national level on October 7, when a selection of Manuel Pérez-Sala's works will be showcased at the Filmoteca Española in the historic Cine Doré in Madrid. The session, scheduled for 7:00 PM in Room 2, is part of the month celebrating International Audiovisual Archive Day at the Filmoteca Española, dedicated specifically to the Filmoteca de Extremadura. Titled 'Recent restorations, short films by Manuel Pérez-Sala, archives from 1954-1959', the session will feature a presentation by Antonio Gil Aparicio, director of the Filmoteca de Extremadura, who will discuss the archive, its recovery process, and its importance for Extremadura's cinematic heritage.
The screening of these films at Cine Doré also acknowledges the efforts made to recover a heritage that remained largely within the family for decades, now returning to the screens to be shared with the public. Through this dual celebration in Extremadura and Madrid, the Filmoteca de Extremadura reaffirms its main mission: to research, recover, conserve, and disseminate Extremadura's audiovisual heritage, returning to society the images that are part of its collective memory.
