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200 LIVES. THE LIFE AND FILMS OF PACO RABAL. DIRECTOR AND WRITER VANESA BENÍTEZ
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Latido Films has taken international sales on Vanesa Benítez's documentary '200 Lives, Paco Rabal,' bringing the life and career of Spanish screen legend Paco Rabal to worldwide buyers ahead of its 2026 San Sebastián International Film Festival premiere. The Spain-France-Mexico co-production will close the festival's Made in Spain section, where its unusual archive-led approach gives Paco Rabal an intimate role in telling his own story through recordings he made during his lifetime.
At the heart of the documentary is Paco Rabal's own voice. Vanesa Benítez draws on previously unpublished personal material, including cassette tapes on which the actor recorded his memoirs. Combined with images he filmed himself, the recordings allow Paco Rabal, who died in 2001, to reflect on his life, ambitions and contradictions from beyond the grave. Rather than relying only on conventional interviews or a retrospective account, the film builds its portrait around material left behind by the actor himself.
The visual archive is equally revealing. The documentary uses eight films made during Paco Rabal's travels, film shoots and festival appearances, offering a personal view of the world surrounding one of Spain's best-known actors. The archive also includes letters, writings and appearances in newspapers, radio and television. Together, these materials expand the film beyond a standard career biography and connect Paco Rabal's private memories with the cinema history of his era...
READ MORE: 200 Lives, Paco Rabal: Latido Films Takes Sales
