Overview
- The Valladolid city council and Seminci confirmed his sudden death Tuesday on X after he fell ill in Madrid, with reports variously listing his age as 60 or 61.
- Media accounts attribute the death to a cerebrovascular event, described as an aneurysm or stroke, while officials have not issued a detailed medical bulletin.
- A secular farewell is scheduled for Thursday at 18:30 at the Los Arenales funeral home in Oviedo.
- Cienfuegos led Gijón’s festival for 16 years, directed Seville’s from 2012 to 2022, and most recently oversaw Seminci, culminating in its 70th edition this fall.
- Public condolences were issued by Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun, Transport Minister Óscar Puente, Castilla y León president Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, and multiple festivals and industry groups, which highlighted his lasting influence on auteur cinema.