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AN INTERVIEW WITH Maravillas Lencina, FILM PRODUCER
As the producer, please introduce yourself and let us know why you became a film producer?
I decided to work in the film industry because it is the best way to present important social justice issues to people on a broad
basis better than any other. And to help make people aware that the types of issues we are sharing with them are
real and happening to real people.While this is the first film which I have produced I’ve been in many ways
preparing for this opportunity. My doctoral degree is in Spanish culture and film and I have conducted
over 300 interviews with victims throughout Spain and in the US, UK and Ireland for this film and a soon to be
published book that Greg, Enrique Vila (a lawyer in Spain) and I are writing on the same topic.
What are the films or people that had impacts on you and deeply inspired you to become a producer?
I’ve always enjoyed films, whether they were fiction or non-fiction that I could learn something from watching.
The documentary Night and Fog continues to inspire as well as Spielberg’s Schindler’s List.
Your film "Stolen Babies in Spain" is an award winning documentary film in the "American Golden Picture IFF".

What were some of the challenges you faced in producing this film?
Raising funds and working within a very tight budget was tough but also making difficult decisions on which cities or
villages to film in across Spain. We never wanted to leave anyone behind or exclude any victim but
the sheer volume of cases, over 300,000 in Spain alone and more across the globe, made it impossible to profile everyone.
Having to try and get answers, even just basic facts that should be open to the public, from the Spanish government,
including from prosecutors who supposedly work on behalf of victims was and remains next to impossible.
For you what was the biggest lesson you had to learn?
To realize that no matter how hard you try you just will never be able to please everyone.
I soon realized that there were some behind the scene politics and conflicts that existed long before we came on the scene and they were going to be there long after we left and we just had to navigate these choppy waters as best as we could for the sake of the film.
To you, what part of the filmmaking is the hardest part?
For me, the film’s promotion and distribution is the most challenging. Especially, with a small budget that comes out of our own pockets,
trying to make sure the film and its story gets a wide audience as the victims of the crimes portrayed in the film deserve nothing less.
The most important part is distributing the film. What did you do for distributing your film?
We’ve been really focusing on submitting our film to a number of quality and dynamic film festivals like the
"American Golden Picture International Film Festival".
We are hoping that through this exposure we can connect with industry professionals that share our belief that this story of
stolen babies needs a wide audience and will collaborate with us to make this become a reality.
What movie do you like best and why?
Mar Adentro with Javier Bardem and Los Fantasmas de Goya also with Bardem and Spielberg’s Schindler’s List. I also love many
genres and have a soft spot love stories like Gone with the Wind and Titanic.
In filmmaking who do you like to work with if you have a choice?
Javier Bardem, Antonio Banderas and Carmen Maura.
What keeps you inspired to continue producing film?
The chance to help make the world even a tiny bit better or fairer keeps me motivated.
What are your film producing goals?
As a producer it would be to help one of our films be nominated for an Academy Award so that in the case of The Stolen Babies of Spain the victims would then hopefully get maximum exposure and then quite possibly, justice.

For your next project, what sorts of movies would you like to make if you had your choice?
I would want to be able to next do a documentary on similar victims in different parts of the world like in Serbia. Many have no other way to get help and if we could I’d love to help victims like that next.
GOOD LUCK Maravillas
Maravillas Lencina's links:
website:
www.stolenbabiesofspain.com
IMDb Page:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11219178/
Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/stolenbabiesofspain/
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