Jon Garaño

Jon Garaño Arzalus (born 18 November 1974) is a celebrated Spanish Basque filmmaker and screenwriter known for his deft blending of historical realism with lyrical storytelling. Born in the small town of Astigarraga in the Basque Country, Garaño grew up immersed in the rich oral traditions and sociopolitical struggles of his region, influences that later surfaced in his critically acclaimed works. He pursued higher education at the University of the Basque Country, where he earned degrees in journalism and advertising, providing him with a solid foundation in narrative structure and visual communication. Seeking to deepen his cinematic craft, he subsequently studied film at the Sarobe Centro de Artes Escénicas and completed further training at San Diego State University, experiences that broadened his artistic perspective and introduced him to international filmmaking techniques. In 2001, Garaño co‑founded the production company Moriarti Produkzioak, a collaborative studio that emphasizes collective direction and role‑sharing among its members, a philosophy reflected in the fluid authorship of its projects. His breakout success arrived with the 2017 feature Giant (Gigante), for which he earned the Goya Award for Best Original Screenplay and secured his first nomination for Best Director, establishing him as a formidable talent in contemporary Spanish cinema. He continued to explore Spain’s tumultuous recent history with The Endless Trench (2019), a haunting portrait of clandestine resistance during the Franco regime, garnering another Goya nomination for directing. Most recently, his 2024 film Marco, the Invented Truth further solidified his reputation for melding personal narrative with broader cultural critique, earning a third Best Director nod. Across his oeuvre, Garaño’s work is distinguished by meticulous period detail, empathetic character studies, and a persistent interrogation of memory and identity, making him a vital voice in both Basque and global film landscapes.