Directing
Fructuós Gelabert was one of the pioneers of Spanish cinema. He is best known for directing the first Spanish argumentative film: Cafe Brawl (1897).
Lost 1897 film in which two men argue over the affection of a woman in a café, with their discussion escalating into a fistfight. Widely regarded as the first fiction film made in Spain, the original is now lost. Director Fructuós Gelabert recreated the film in 1952, a version often mistakenly assumed to be the original.
Documentary by Juan Francisco de Lasa about a pioneer of Spanish cinema. Gelabert attended one of the first sessions of the Lumière's cinématographe in Barcelona. Briefly after, he built a contraption based on this invention. He produced his first picture, "Dorotea", in 1897. His film "Riña en un café" is considered the first Spanish film to feature a plot.
In this simple melodrama, a boy loses his beloved girl, hence dying of a broken heart. The film presents advanced techniques in several fields.
Arguably the first animation film in Spain, where two ships collide.
Directed by pioneering Catalan filmmaker Fructuós Gelabert, this short documentary captures the royal visit of Queen Regent María Cristina and her 11-year-old son, King Alfonso XIII, to Barcelona in February 1898. The film showcases the enthusiastic reception by the public, featuring crowds gathered along the streets to witness the royal procession.
The film recreates the adventures of the mysterious Ana Kadova in an imaginary kingdom called Balkania, where nobles, villains and spies mingle. Count Cadova is dispossessed of his power and condemned to death. Thereafter his daughter Anna vows to avenge his death. Throughout the film she is pursued by spies and falls in love with a doctor.
A millionaire girl publishes a personal ad wishing to marry a young, gallant man, using the Park's Swiss Cowshop as the meeting point.
Documentary filmed by Fructuoso Gelabert at the Spanish coast.
María Rosa is a Spanish silent film directed by Juan María Codina.
Short documentary by Fructuós Gelabert capturing a religious procession in Barcelona’s Sants neighborhood. Young girls dressed in white march alongside bands, soldiers, and adults carrying religious standards, offering a glimpse into early 20th-century Catalan cultural and religious life. This film is considered one of the earliest surviving examples of Spanish cinema.