Spanish director Daniel Guzmán quits cinema to live off rental income

Daniel Guzmán leaves cinema to live off apartment rents

Daniel Guzmán has stopped making movies to live off rentals. The director, screenwriter and star of «La deuda» stated this himself during the film's presentation at the Centro Botín, part of the V Arquicines Festival organized by the Official College of Architects of Cantabria: "I want to run away from cinema because I don't know if it makes sense to make films." This phrase, uttered in a discussion moderated by dean Román San Emeterio, sums up the mood of a filmmaker who saw his work pass unnoticed while the problem he portrays—housing—became central to public debate.

What «La deuda» really talks about

The film, released a year ago, tells the story of Lucas and Antonia, two neighbors threatened with losing their homes due to real estate speculation. Guzmán insists this is not a new issue: "Gentrification and the housing problem have been affecting major cities in Europe, Latin America and around the world for years." The director raises the tension between two rights: "Which has more value, the right to decent housing or private property?" His diagnosis is pessimistic: "We are in a moment of absolute tension that, unless the State intervenes, shows few signs of resolution."

Beyond bricks and mortar, Guzmán wanted to address three issues that move him personally: the relationship with the elderly—"the older we get, the less value we have"—gentrification and death. Regarding the latter, he criticizes that "no one prepares us for it" and that in Oooo-Christian culture "there is much guilt and pain associated with death."

The business of cinema vs. the business of renting

Guzmán's decision to abandon directing is not isolated but striking. The filmmaker acknowledges he prefers to direct only: "Producing, directing and acting is a trio that doesn't work." In his case, he had to star in «La deuda» out of imposed necessity: actress Charo García, very elderly, suffered a fall at her residence and there was no time to rehearse with another actor. "I didn't want to star in it, but Charo and the story asked me to," he admits.

According to some viewers, the result was a film that found no niche. "It passed without glory or sorrow," summarizes an opinion attributing the flop to competition with other releases and lack of connection with the audience. Another view points directly to the financing model: subsidized cinema that doesn't fill theaters and, when it fails, pushes its creators to seek alternative incomes.

Housing as economic refuge

Guzmán's gesture has an obvious economic reading. While Spanish cinema depends on public aid and increasingly weak box office, the rental market has become a refuge for those owning property. The paradox is that the director denounces real estate speculation in his films while opting to live off apartment rents. It is not a contradiction exclusive to him: it is the snapshot of a country where real estate remains the most profitable and least risky asset.

The discussion on gentrification is also not unanimous. Some argue the phenomenon has always existed and cities transform by buying old structures to build new ones. Others respond that the difference now is scale: entire neighborhoods expel lifelong residents, replacing them with tourist rentals and luxury apartments. Guzmán himself summarizes it: "You lose your roots, your references, the relationship with the environment, coexistence."

What role do architects play?

The festival hosting the screening is organized by the College of Architects of Cantabria, and Guzmán did not dodge questions about urban planning. His answer was blunt: "In the balance between money and design or urban development, money always wins." In his view, cities grow poorly, with expansions seeking to cheapen construction, resulting in "less sky to look at, fewer parks, wastelands and open spaces."

The cycle includes other screenings such as «Parasite», «The Big Short» or «House on Fire», and several documentaries at the Ricardo Lorenzo Architecture Center. The choice is not casual: cinema as a mirror of an urban model that expels those who cannot afford it.

The uncertain future of the filmmaker

Guzmán has not announced concrete plans. His phrase—"I want to run away from cinema"—leaves the door open to anything. What is clear is that the man who portrayed others' debt has decided to collect his own. With the rental market as a lifeline and cinema as an existential doubt, his next move is unknown. If he returns to directing, it will be because he finds a reason that isn't economic. If not, real estate already pays his bills.