Juan Lebrón’s Unfinished Expo Film Project on Sevilla’s Semana Santa and Feria

Filmmaker Juan Lebrón, a close associate of journalist Pablo Juliá, conceived a diptych of short films for the Seville Expo of the late 1980s‑early 1990s. One film would portray the city’s Semana Santa and the other the Feria de Abril, each lasting 45‑50 minutes so that together they would form a feature‑length sensory impression of the two major festivals. The joint projection plan never materialised; the two films were released separately.

Lebrón’s approach rejected conventional documentary techniques, opting for natural light, silence, and authentic sounds such as saetas, cornets and drums to convey what is seen and felt. He assembled a notable creative team: director Gutiérrez Aragón, cinematographer José Luis Alcaine, editor Pepe Salcedo, and orchestrator Antón García Abril, who also conducted the London Philharmonic. The Feria film was directed by Carlos Saura, photographed by Alcaine, edited by Salcedo and musically overseen by Manolo Sanlúcar. Lebrón’s work involved many celebrated Spanish artists, including Paco de Lucía, Camarón, Rocío Jurado and Lola Flores, aiming to capture the essence of Seville’s cultural transformation during the Expo era.