A graduate in fine arts from the Complutense University of Madrid with a specialization in audiovisual arts, he entered the film industry by working as an assistant director for Mexican directors Carlos Reygadas and Amat Escalante.La influencia, his first feature film, premiered at the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes 2007 and participated in festivals such as San Sebastián, Montreal, London BFI, Thessaloniki, Göteborg, and BAFICI. Naufragio, his second feature film, premiered in the Official Section of the 2010 Seville Festival, where it received a Special Mention from the jury. It also participated in festivals such as Atlántida, San Sebastián, Morelia, and Hamburg, among others. Demonios tus ojos, his third feature film, premiered in the Official Section of the 2017 Rotterdam International Festival. In the Zonazine section of the Málaga Festival, it won the awards for Best Actress (Ivana Baquero) and Best Actor (Julio Perillán); it also participated in festivals such as San Sebastián, Barcelona D’A, Edinburgh, Transylvania, Abycine, Seminci, and Philadelphia. In 2017, the first retrospective of his work was held at the Pesaro International Film Festival (Italy). In 2021, he directed the documentary Rediseñando el mañana, about design and sustainability, which premiered at the Madrid Design Festival and participated in the Sevilla OFFF festival and in Córdoba’s I Encuentro Internacional Ciudad de las Ideas. In 2023, he presented his feature film Splendid Hotel, a co-production with Stray Dogs (France), Mont Fleuri (Morocco), and Canal Arte, about the story of the poet Arthur Rimbaud in Africa, with actor Damien Bonnard as the protagonist. It was shown at the ArteKino Festival, Rizoma, Seville’s “Las Nuevas Olas,” and La Roche-sur-Yon.His new feature film, Día de caza—with Carmen Machi, Blanca Portillo, Rossy de Palma, and Zoé Arnao, made with the support and financing of the MEDIA Programme, Ibermedia, Junta de Extremadura, ICAA, Movistar+, and RTVE—premiered in the Official Section, out of competition, of the 2026 Málaga Festival, and has been shown at the Göteborg, Toulouse, and Miami festivals.Pedro Aguilera is also a professor of mise-en-scène; he teaches at ECAM, Carlos III University, and FX Animation Barcelona Film School, and has taught at TAI School, LENS, IE Business School, Rey Juan Carlos University, and Camilo José Cela University, among other institutions. He has also led workshops on directing actors at Verónica Mey Estudio and the University of Jaén (UJA). Pedro Aguilera is a member of the Spanish Film Academy and a mentor for projects at various institutions, such as the Academy’s Residency and the Navarra Residency.
A graduate in fine arts from the Complutense University of Madrid with a specialization in audiovisual arts, he entered the film industry by working as an assistant director for Mexican directors Carlos Reygadas and Amat Escalante.La influencia, his first feature film, premiered at the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes 2007 and participated in festivals such as San Sebastián, Montreal, London BFI, Thessaloniki, Göteborg, and BAFICI. Naufragio, his second feature film, premiered in the Official Section of the 2010 Seville Festival, where it received a Special Mention from the jury. It also participated in festivals such as Atlántida, San Sebastián, Morelia, and Hamburg, among others. Demonios tus ojos, his third feature film, premiered in the Official Section of the 2017 Rotterdam International Festival. In the Zonazine section of the Málaga Festival, it won the awards for Best Actress (Ivana Baquero) and Best Actor (Julio Perillán); it also participated in festivals such as San Sebastián, Barcelona D’A, Edinburgh, Transylvania, Abycine, Seminci, and Philadelphia. In 2017, the first retrospective of his work was held at the Pesaro International Film Festival (Italy). In 2021, he directed the documentary Rediseñando el mañana, about design and sustainability, which premiered at the Madrid Design Festival and participated in the Sevilla OFFF festival and in Córdoba’s I Encuentro Internacional Ciudad de las Ideas. In 2023, he presented his feature film Splendid Hotel, a co-production with Stray Dogs (France), Mont Fleuri (Morocco), and Canal Arte, about the story of the poet Arthur Rimbaud in Africa, with actor Damien Bonnard as the protagonist. It was shown at the ArteKino Festival, Rizoma, Seville’s “Las Nuevas Olas,” and La Roche-sur-Yon.His new feature film, Día de caza—with Carmen Machi, Blanca Portillo, Rossy de Palma, and Zoé Arnao, made with the support and financing of the MEDIA Programme, Ibermedia, Junta de Extremadura, ICAA, Movistar+, and RTVE—premiered in the Official Section, out of competition, of the 2026 Málaga Festival, and has been shown at the Göteborg, Toulouse, and Miami festivals.Pedro Aguilera is also a professor of mise-en-scène; he teaches at ECAM, Carlos III University, and FX Animation Barcelona Film School, and has taught at TAI School, LENS, IE Business School, Rey Juan Carlos University, and Camilo José Cela University, among other institutions. He has also led workshops on directing actors at Verónica Mey Estudio and the University of Jaén (UJA). Pedro Aguilera is a member of the Spanish Film Academy and a mentor for projects at various institutions, such as the Academy’s Residency and the Navarra Residency.
