Ignasi Camós, who served as director general of Spain’s film body ICAA since June 2023, has died. He was 56.
Spain’s culture ministry confirmed the news on Thursday (April 23) and paid tribute to Camós’s “commitment and public service”.
Camós, who died of cancer, was appointed to his role following the departure of Beatriz Navas and remained in the post under successive culture ministers, including Miquel Iceta and current minister Ernest Urtasun.
A doctor in law, Camós combined an academic career with long experience in public administration. He was a tenured professor of labour and social security law at the University of Girona and a civil servant within Spain’s central administration.
Camós joined the culture ministry in 2021 as a parliamentary advisor and was considered a key figure in advancing initiatives like the development of the Statute of the Artist aimed at improving labour conditions in the cultural sector.
Prior to that, he held advisory roles across several government departments, including labour, social security and ecological transition, and served as a parliamentary advisor in the ministerial cabinet. He also worked in the Generalitat de Catalunya and as a technical advisor at Spain’s permanent representation to the European Union in Brussels.
At ICAA, the public body responsible for implementing state film policy and support measures, Camós oversaw a period marked by strong international visibility for Spanish cinema and ongoing regulatory development. During his tenure he was involved in shaping policy frameworks and contributed to the draft of Spain’s new Cinema Law.
His death comes at a time when Spain’s audiovisual industry is undergoing structural change, with ongoing policy reforms and increased international recognition as shown by a heavyweight contingent of three Spanish features in next month’s Cannes Competition for the first time since the Palme d’Or was created in 1955.
