José Mota makes the leap to film directing with a clear message: comedy should not be afraid. The comedian premieres this Thursday, October 22, Arriba Tutto, his first film as a director, and takes advantage of its arrival in cinemas to defend creative freedom against self-censorship. "The biggest mistake is to self-censor," he stated in an interview in which he also reflects on the role of humor in a society marked by tension and polarization.
"When I have the temptation to do that, I remember that freedom is consubstantial with comedy," explains Mota, who believes that giving up that freedom would mean admitting that one works out of fear. For the comedian, humor continues to be a tool capable of bringing positions closer in a context where confrontation and hatred occupy a large part of the public debate. "Without humor, one cannot live," he concludes.
The director goes further and vindicates comedy's ability to unite people with different ideas. As an example, he cites Ocho apellidos vascos, a film that, in his opinion, contributed to bringing Basque society and the rest of Spain closer than politics itself. He also recalls Gila's monologues, which managed to gather viewers from both Spains in front of the television. "At that moment it was just one," he recalls about that ability of humor to generate shared spaces even in times of division.
José Mota previews the themes of his New Year's Eve special on TVE
The defense of creative freedom is also present in his television work. José Mota assures that he has never felt fear of possible reprisals for his imitations of the main political representatives in Televisión Española's New Year's Eve specials. "I have worked with some and with others from the absolute tranquility of always doing my job," he maintains.
The comedian is already preparing the 2026 New Year's Eve special, which will focus on some of the problems that most concern citizens. Among them will be housing, unemployment, and salaries, three issues on which Mota considers it necessary to draw attention. "To put the magnifying glass directly there," he explains about the focus of this new installment, although he leaves open the possibility of incorporating other events that may occur, also referring to the elections scheduled for November 29.
'Arriba Tutto', a tribute to comedians of yesteryear
José Mota's first film as a director stems from his desire to pay tribute to the traveling artists who toured villages in caravans to bring their shows and make audiences laugh. Arriba Tutto tells the story of a bitter man in times of war who regains hope through comedy, a premise that the filmmaker presents as a fable with a message especially pertinent today.
"I believe that Arriba Tutto is a clown's nose standing up to everything, with the tool of humor," summarizes the director, who defines the film as "a child telling a story to an adult." After almost four decades of television career, Mota faces this new challenge with a passion for a story he fully trusted, a circumstance that, he admits, helped him put fear in the background.
The leap to cinema comes after a long experience in television, where he began his career in 1989 with the program Pero esto qué es. His work on New Year's Eve specials has also allowed him to become familiar with the resources of cinematic language, although the comedian takes the opportunity to assert the level of current television fiction. "There are series today on television and platforms that surpass the cinematic quality of many films," he states.