Isabel Herguera Masterclass

The Creative Process behind 'El sueño de la sultana'

Isabel Herguera will share the creative process behind her acclaimed animated feature El sueño de la sultana, which competed in the Spanish Films official section at l’Alternativa 2023.

The filmmaker will reveal how her work has evolved toward animation, starting from her beginnings in video art in the 1980s. Taking us on a journey through her short films, making-of footage and previously unseen materials, she will analyse the key elements that shape her working methodology and creative approach.

She will also talk about artistic collaborations, focusing on her constant experimentation with different materials and the extensive research and documentation she carries out before making a film.

Isabel Herguera (San Sebastián, 1961) is a visual artist, producer, and animation director. She graduated in fine arts from the Universidad del País Vasco and furthered her education at the Kunstakademie in Düsseldorf under the guidance of video artist Nam June Paik, before doing a master's degree at the prestigious animation school CalArts, Los Angeles. A 2015 showcase of her work at l’Alternativa Hall included La gallina ciega (2006), Ámár (2010), Bajo la almohada (2012), and Amore d’inverno (2015), which won the Grand Prize of Basque Cinema at ZINEBI. In 2016 codirected Kutxa beltza (2016) with Izibene Oñederra. She has served as the director of Animac, coordinates the Image in Motion Lab at Arteleku in San Sebastián and worked as an animator in Los Angeles for over a decade. Her debut feature film, El sueño de la sultana (2023), was screened at l’Alternativa last year.