Juan Carlos Frugone Passes Away

Juan Carlos Frugone, Director of the Semana Internacional de Cine de Valladolid [Valladolid International Film Week] from 2005 to 2008 and its assistant director from 1984 to 1992, passed away on Monday night in Madrid, after suffering from a terminal illness. He passed away at the Madrid mountain medical centre, where he had been admitted since the illness was detected. A religious service in his memory was held yesterday and his mortal remains will be cremated today at the Villalba crematorium.

Frugone was born in Buenos Aires in 1938 and dedicated his life to the Seventh Art as a critic and organizer, both as a hobby and a profession. From the film clubs of his youth, he went on to serve as a consultant and organizer of major international film events.

In Valladolid, his name will long be connected with the Seminci [Valldolid’s International Film Week], above all its most recent phase, not only for being the most recent, but also the most difficult. Frugone took charge of the festival following Fernando Lara, when Lara was named Director of the Instituto de las Ciencias y las Artes Audiovisuales [Spanish Institute of Audiovisual Arts and Sciences].

In 2005 the Festival was preparing to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The selection of Frugone as director was a surprise, as his name wasn’t in the list of possible successors to Lara, although it wasn’t unknown to those closest to the festival. In fact, he had been assistant director in Lara’s first stretch as director, from 1984 to 1992.

In the years he was director, Frugone opened up the contest to new technologies, but little by little saw that he didn’t have time to dedicate to what was truly his forte, scheduling. When the 52nd Seminci Festival ended, he confided in an interview that he felt tired and alone, resulting from his differences with the mayor of Valladolid and the president of the sponsoring board. Finally, he submitted his resignation without coming to organize the 53rd edition.