Making »Un Tribunal para la Constitución«: A Documentary on the Creation and First Years of the Spanish Constitutional Court (1980–1986)

Abstract

This article explains how, from 2012 to 2015, the authors conceived, shot and edited the film »Un Tribunal para la Constitución«, a documentary about the first years of the Constitutional Court of Spain. It also tries to show the film’s impact among Spanish scholars, journalists and politicians, first as an audiovisual product and later also as a book. Section I explains the context and the reasons that moved the authors to undertake the project. Section II describes how they conceived the documentary, and the process of finding a producer, writing the script, filming and editing it. Section III deals with the dissemination of the documentary, i. e. its exhibition since its premiere in July 2015, and later the process of publishing it as a book in 2017. It will also attempt to outline the feedback the authors received and its impact among scholars, politicians, journalists, etc. Finally, Section IV gives a brief overview of the impact of the documentary and its main contribution to the historiography of the Spanish transition to democracy and contemporary Spanish constitutional law.

Keywords

• constitutional court of spain
• constitution of spain
• documentary
• spanish transition to democracy (transición)
• appointment of judges