Carlos Atanes

Directing·Nov 8, 1971·Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

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Carlos Atanes (Barcelona, 1971) is a Spanish filmmaker, writer and playwright whose work occupies a singular place in European underground cinema. Since the late 1980s, he has built a distinctive artistic universe that combines science fiction, fantasy, surrealism and philosophical inquiry, becoming one of the most recognisable cult auteurs of contemporary Spanish cinema. Among his most acclaimed works are the dystopian science-fiction films "FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions" and "Proxima", as well as the surreal and deeply underground "Maximum Shame" and "Gallino, the Chicken System", which established him as one of the most uncompromising voices in contemporary European cult cinema. His films have often provoked strongly divided reactions, being celebrated by admirers for their originality and audacity while dismissed by detractors as deliberately provocative and inaccessible. Works such as "The Metamorphosis of Franz Kafka" and "Perdurabo (Where is Aleister Crowley?)" reveal his enduring interest in literature and esotericism, while "Báthory" (2026) sees him moving further into experimental cinema through a more abstract and formally daring approach. Throughout his career, Atanes has remained fiercely independent, building a body of work distinguished by its originality, intellectual ambition and complete artistic freedom.

Film	Credit
Báthory2026 · Director, Producer	Director, Producer
Autofocus2025 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
Alter Ego Film Project2024 · Director, Writer, Producer	Director, Writer, Producer
Romance bizarro2018 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
Necrofilia fina2013 · Producer, Writer, Director	Producer, Writer, Director
Gallino, the Chicken System2012 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
Maximum Shame2010 · Director, Writer, Producer	Director, Writer, Producer
Scream Queen2009 · Director, Writer, Producer	Director, Writer, Producer
Próxima2007 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
Codex Atanicus2007 · Director, Writer, Producer	Director, Writer, Producer
Frequently Asked Questions2004 · Director, Writer, Producer	Director, Writer, Producer
PERDURABO (Where is Aleister Crowley?)2003 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
Welcome to Spain1999 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
The Seven Hills of Rome1999 · Narrator, Director, Writer	Narrator, Director, Writer
Borneo1997 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
Morfing1996 · Self, Director, Writer	Self, Director, Writer
Metaminds & Metabodies1995 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
TThe Metamorphosis of Franz Kafka1993 · Director	Director
El Tenor Mental1993 · Director	Director
The Marvellous World of the Cucu Bird1991 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
LLa ira1989 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
Fils de PunkSelf	Self