Juan Antonio Cadenas Dapena

Category: Professor, theatre critic, essayist and script writer
Birth Place: Ferrol (A Coruña)

Opinión
 Curriculum

He took a degree in Information Sciences at Complutense University (1972) and his doctorate degree in 1977. Besides, he attended the Course on Pedagogical Ability (1981), a course on dubbing in the Cinema School (1974-75) and two courses on Philosophy at Complutense University (1970-71). He also studied Nautics (1961-64). He organised cultural activities and theatre for children at several schools in Madrid (1967-73) and was a Professor of Cinema and Video at the Popular University of Alcorcón (1983), the Popular University of San Sebastián de los Reyes (1990-92), the Formation School of Ciudad Real (1991-92) and the Youth Centre of Valdepeñas (1992-93). He has been an actor since 1963 as well as theatre director and critic, essayist and cinema, video and TV scriptwriter (he produced several serials and films for Antena-3, ETG Television, El Alacrán P.C., County Council of Ciudad Real …). He enjoyed some scholarships to work on Spanish TV (1975), in the Spanish Academy of Fine Arts in Rome (1974-75) and Juan March Foundation (1975-76).

 Work & Activities

As far as plastic arts are concerned, he participated in several individual and collective exhibitions: Chatteaurenault (France, 1965), ARTI collective exhibition (Madrid), Pancho Cossío National Drawing Contest (Santander, 1971), Ciudad de Zamora IV Biennial Exhibition (1977), individual exhibition at Damma Gallery (Madrid, 1979), Ciudad de Zamora V Biennial Exhibition (1979), Adaja Prize (collective exhibition, Ávila, 1980), IV International Biennial Exhibition (Col – Pontevedra, 1980), finalist at Vieira Graphic Humour Prize (Pontevedra, 1981), Galicia Gallery (sold at auction collective exhibition, Ferrol, 1983), collaborations of graphic humour in ‘Escaparate Libertario’ and ‘Cuadernos de Humor’ (1977-90), Barbastro Graphic Humour Prize (collective exhibition, 1995). From the literary point of view, he wrote critics and essays for the magazine ‘Gaceta Universitaria’ (1968-71), essays about new theatre and film tendencies (1969), poems published in ‘Nova Europa’ (Luxembourg), ‘Vento Novo' (Italy), Silarus (Italy), etc and broadcasted in La Voz de Madrid, COPE Valladolid, journalistic collaborations in Radio Exterior (1977) and humour collaborations in ‘Cuadernos de Humor’ (1990-91).
These are some of his most important films: Viaje (1969), Conversaciones (1970), Ceremonia (1970), Pneumaton (1971), Crónica de un desnudo (1973-74), “…!…” (1975), Rompecabezas (1975-76), Una tía que sale un ratito al final (1978), Los genicuales entre paréntesis (1979), Película (1980), El invento (1980), Navda (1982), Berenice (1982), Zaragata (1982), La Caca (1984), La ruta de China (1985), Resaca (1985), Tráfico y traficantes (1988), Reflejo (1988) and video films: La Aventura de la Mancha (1993), El Pabellón Ferial de Ciudad Real (1993), Invitación a la Mancha (1994), Investidura de la Corporación P. (1995) and La uva, el fruto prohibido (1996). He collaborated as a scriptwriter in the serial Los ladrones van a la oficina, (Antena3, 1991-92) and advisor in Vía Digital to finance Spanish films.

 Other Interesting Aspects

He was awarded the first SILARUS Essay Prize (theatre, Italy, 1971) and was finalist at Ramón Llul Tale Contest (Palma, 1967 and 1969), at Ciudad de San Sebastián Tale Contest (1968) and Athenaeum of Valladolid Novel Prize (Valladolid, 1987). He was also awarded the first Ciudad Alcalá Prize (Alcalá de Henares, 1973), the first prize of the Seventh Humour Cinema Contest (A Coruña, 1979), the Special Quality Prize (Ministry of Culture, 1982), the second and special prize for the best cinematographic language at the 36th National Contest of the ‘C.E.C.’ (1973) and was finalist in the First National Contest of Vanguard Cinema (Madrid, 1974) and the Humour Cinema Vieira Prize (Pontevedra, 1981). Besides, he was invited to many cinema exhibitions and festivals.