Hours of Light

Hours of Light
Theatrical release poster
Spanish	Horas de luz
Directed by	Manolo Matji
Screenplay by	José Ángel Esteban Carlos López Manolo Matji
Produced by	Gustavo Ferrada
Starring	Alberto San Juan Emma Suárez José Ángel Egido Vicente Romero Andrés Lima Ana Wagener Aitor Merino Paco Marín
Cinematography	José Luis López Linares
Edited by	José María Biurrun
Music by	Alfonso de Vilallonga
Production companies	La Fiesta PC Sogecine
Distributed by	Warner Sogefilms
Release dates	20 September 2004 (2004-09-20) (Zinemaldia) 24 September 2004 (2004-09-24) (Spain)
Country	Spain
Language	Spanish

Hours of Light aka Light Hours (Spanish: Horas de luz)[1][2] is a 2004 Spanish romance and prison drama film directed by Manolo Matji [es] which stars Alberto San Juan and Emma Suárez.

Plot

Based on a real events, the plot tracks the romantic relationship established in 1991 between prison nurse María del Mar "Marimar" Villar and Juan José Garfia [es], imprisoned because of the cold-blood murder of three in 1987.[3][4][1]

Cast

• Alberto San Juan as Juan José Garfia [es][5]
• Emma Suárez as Mari Mar[5]
• José Ángel Egido as Chincheta[5]
• Vicente Romero as Morata[5]
• Andrés Lima as Granizo[5]
• Ana Wagener as Chus[5]
• Aitor Merino [es] as Tormo[5]
• Daniel Núñez as Chester[5]
• Paco Marín [es] as Rafa[5]

Production

A Sogecine and La Fiesta production, the film had the participation of TVE, Telemadrid, and Canal+.[6] Shooting began on 2 June 2003 and lasted for 8 weeks.[6] The former Hospital Militar del Generalísimo in Calle de Isaac Peral (Madrid) stood in for indoor prison settings.[7] Some outdoor scenes were shot in Leganés.[8]

Release

The film premiered in competition at the 52nd San Sebastián International Film Festival in September 2004.[9] It was met by a chilly reception by the festival audience.[10] Distributed by Warner Sogefilms,[1] it was theatrically released in Spain on 24 September 2004.[5]

Reception

Jonathan Holland of Variety considered that despite its commendable intentions, the film is "hampered by its script's inability to follow through the logic of its premise to the emotionally satisfying conclusion it merits".[1]

Casimiro Torreiro of El País considered the film to be both a discourse about remorse and a bet for social rehabilitation.[3]

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
2005	19th Goya Awards	Best Original Screenplay	José Ángel Esteban, Manolo Matji, Carlos López	Nominated	[4]
		Best Editing	José María Biurrun	Nominated

See also

• List of Spanish films of 2004

References

1. Holland, Jonathan (7 October 2004). "Light Hours". Variety.
2. "Horas de luz / Hours of Light". San Sebastián International Film Festival. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
3. Torreiro, Casimiro (24 September 2004). "Delitos y culpas". El País.
4. "Horas de luz". premiosgoya.com. Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
5. "Horas de luz". elmundo.es. January 2005. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
6. "SPAIN Production Listings - March 9 2004". ScreenDaily. 9 March 2004.
7. García, Rocío (25 July 2003). "Garfia, del crimen al amor entre rejas". El País.
8. "Historia de Leganés: ¿Qué películas y series se han grabado en Leganés?". Leganés activo. 1 March 2022.
9. Harguindey, Ángel S. (21 September 2004). "Una sobria y notable 'Horas de luz'". El País.
10. "El público recibe con frialdad 'Horas de luz', la única película española a concurso". El País. 20 September 2004.