Pedro Víllora

A fascinating look at the life of trailblazing Hollywood icon Sara Montiel, widely considered Spain's first international star.

Born in Campo de Criptana, a small village in the Spanish region of La Mancha, Sara Montiel (1928-2013) conquered Mexico, Hollywood, and the hearts of people. The recognition of an unparalleled professional career, an intimate dialogue with a tireless worker who took the stage at the age of twelve and never got off. A movie star who seduced millions of viewers around the world, a singer who reinvented a musical genre, a woman who broke the mold…

A documentary about the erotic writer, costume designer, theater decorator, and composer of several very popular cuplés. It is part of RTVE’s special programming for Pride 2025 and pays tribute to one of the pioneers in advocating for sexual diversity. Álvaro Retana’s family has opened their personal archive to recover the figure of their grandfather, a creator as essential as he is currently unknown. In addition, extensive research was conducted in the files of numerous archives and museums. All this work brings to the present a world of color, freedom, revolutionary frivolity, and compulsive creativity, which he left behind in a legacy of over a hundred novels, more than 1,000 cuplés (perhaps the most well-known being Las tardes del Ritz, Ven y ven, La pulga...), hundreds of costume designs, drawings, and more.