José Antonio Sáinz de Vicuña created IMPALA in the 1960s, a company which has produced over one hundred films directed by several of Spain's top directors. At present it owns sixty five negatives, several of them considered classics.
He is a graduate of Yale University, where he was a senior editor of campus humor magazine The Yale Record.[1]
He was President of Warner Española, a company which was in partnership with Warner Bros. and during thirty years distributed all WB products in Spain. Was also President of Warner Home Video in Spain during ten years.
As Vice President of Incine, he was also involved in the distribution of 20th Century Fox films between 1970 and 1988. At different times during those last decades also distributed Columbia Pictures, Disney and PolyGram while this company remained active.
He was on the Board of Cinesa, Spain's leading theatrical chain, as well as on the Board of Warner-Lusomundo Theaters.
He created CINEPAQ together with Canal+ France. In 1992 CINEPAQ merged with IDEA, a company belonging to the PRISA GROUP, and formed SOGEPAQ. He was President of SOGEPAQ, a company which financed most of Spain's top box office films during the last twenty years as well as creating the largest modern catalogue of Spanish feature films.
From 1997 to 2000 he was a member of the Board of the European Film Academy.
In 2000 he became President of PLURAL, a new PRISA audiovisual production company.
Together with Luis García Berlanga and Alfredo Matas, conceived and promoted.
Ciudad de la Luz Studios in Alicante, one of Europe's most modern Studios .35 films have been shot in CDLL since it began operating in 2005.
In 2006 decided to revive Impala's activities while remaining as a consultant to PLURAL. Besides films IMPALA is now involved in developing TV series and programs – at present it is developing a Mexican co production with TVE – and theatrical plays together with SABRE, a company with a long record of successes in the theater.
In 2007 he was awarded EGEDA's Gold Medal.[2]
In 2010 he started the creation of a new branch of IMPALA, IMPALA Digital, producing content for the Internet including Social media.
As a producer, distributor and initiator of several audiovisual ventures, Jose Vicuña's main objective during his career has always been to promote Spanish creative talent both inside and outside Spain.
| Year | Title | Director(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 8 citas | Peris Romano y Rodrigo Sorogoyen | |
| 2007 | Goal II, viviendo el sueño | Jaume Collet Serra | |
| 2005 | Los dos lados de la cama | Emilio Martínez Lázaro | |
| 2003 | Dos tipos duros | Juan Martínez Moreno | |
| 2002 | El otro lado de la cama | Emilio Martínez Lázaro | |
| 2001 | Algunas chicas doblan las piernas cuando hablan | Ana Díez | |
| 2001 | Hacerse el sueco | Daniel Díaz Torres | |
| 2000 | Gitano | Manuel Palacios | |
| 1997 | 99.9 | Agustí Villaronga | |
| 1993 | Amor y deditos del pie | Luis Felipe Rocha | |
| 1992 | El laberinto griego | Rafael Alcázar | |
| 1992 | Sevilla connection | José Ramón Larraz | |
| 1991 | Ni se te ocurra | Luis María Delgado | |
| 1991 | Nunca estuve en Viena | Antonio Larreta | |
| 1991 | El invierno en Lisboa | Jose A. Zorrilla | |
| 1990 | Aquí huele a muerto | Álvaro Sáenz de Heredia | |
| 1990 | Dancing Machine | Gilles Behat | |
| 1990 | Álbum de familia | Luis Galvao | |
| 1987 | Policía | Álvaro Saenz de Heredia | |
| 1985 | Yo, el vaquilla | Jose Antonio de la Loma | |
| 1985 | Flesh and blood | Paul Verhoeven | |
| 1985 | La rapsodia de los cuatreros | Hugh Wilson | |
| 1984 | Café, coca y puro | Antonio del Real | |
| 1984 | Violines y trompetas | Rafael Romero Marchent | |
| 1984 | Las fantasías de Cuny | Joaquín Luis Romero Marchent | |
| 1984 | Camila | María Luisa Bemberg | |
| 1984 | Las bicicletas son para el verano | Jaime Chávarri | |
| 1982 | La Biblia en pasta | Manuel Summers | |
| 1982 | Freddy el croupier | Álvaro Saenz de Heredia | |
| 1982 | Cecilia | Humberto Solás | |
| 1982 | El cabezota | Francisco Lara Polop | |
| 1982 | Pares y nones | José Luis Cuerda | |
| 1981 | Asesinato en el Comité Central | Vicente Aranda | |
| 1981 | El crack | José Luis Garci | |
| 1980 | La mano negra | Fernando Colomo | |
| 1980 | El divorcio que viene | Pedro Masó | |
| 1980 | Ángeles gordos | Manuel Summers | |
| 1980 | Sentados al borde de la mañana con los pies colgando | Antonio J. Betacor | |
| 1980 | 127 millones libres de impuestos | Pedro Masó | |
| 1979 | La miel | Pedro Masó | |
| 1979 | La familia bien, gracias | José Luis López Vázquez | |
| 1978 | Hierba salvaje | Luis Mª Delgado | |
| 1978 | Los restos del naufragio | Ricardo Franco | |
| 1977 | Tengamos la guerra en paz | Eugenio Martín | |
| 1977 | La escopeta nacional | Luis García Berlanga | |
| 1977 | Pepito piscinas | Luis Mª Delgado | |
| 1977 | Nunca es tarde | Jaime de Armiñán | |
| 1977 | Niñas… al salón | Vicente Escrivá | |
| 1977 | Ensalada Baudelaire | Leopoldo Tusquets | |
| 1977 | Los días del pasado | Mario Camus | |
| 1977 | La coquito | Pedro Masó | |
| 1977 | Cacique Bandeira | Héctor Olivera | |
| 1976 | Cambio de sexo | Vicente Aranda | |
| 1976 | La espada negra | Francisco Rovira Beleta | |
| 1976 | Señoritas de uniforme | Luis Mª Delgado | |
| 1976 | La menor | Pedro Masó | |
| 1976 | La lozana andaluza | Vicente Escrivá | |
| 1976 | El bengador justiciero y su pastelera madre | Forges | |
| 1976 | Call girl (vida privada de la Srta. Julia) | Eugenio Martín | |
| 1975 | Jo, papá | Jaime de Armiñán | |
| 1975 | Las adolescentes | Pedro Masó | |
| 1975 | Zorrita Martínez | José Luis López Vázquez | |
| 1975 | La joven casada | Mario Camus | |
| 1975 | País, S.A. | Forges | |
| 1975 | Clara es el precio | Vicente Aranda | |
| 1974 | Yo la vi primero | Fernando Fernán Gómez | |
| 1974 | Un hombre como los demás | Pedro Masó | |
| 1974 | El comisario G | Fernando Merino | |
| 1974 | Open season (los cazadores) | Peter Collinson | |
| 1973 | Pisito de solteras | Fernando Merino | |
| 1973 | El amor del capitán Brando | Jaime de Armiñán | |
| 1973 | Mi profesora particular | Jaime Camino | |
| 1973 | Un trabajo tranquilo | Pasquale Festa Campanile | |
| 1973 | Los pájaros de Baden Baden | Mario Camus | |
| 1972 | Experiencia Prematrimonial | Pedro Masó | |
| 1969 | La Lola dicen que no vive sola | Jaime de Armiñán | |
| 1969 | Urtain, el rey de la selva o así | Manuel Summers | |
| 1968 | ¿Por qué te engaña tu marido? | Manuel Summers | |
| 1967 | Una señora estupenda | Eugenio Martín | |
| 1966 | Con el viento solano | Mario Camus | |
| 1965 | Joaquín Murrieta | George Sherman | |
| 1964 | El extraño viaje | Fernando Fernán Gómez | |
| 1964 | La niña de luto | Manuel Summers | |
| 1963 | Del rosa al amarillo | Manuel Summers |