This is the story about Julita, a matriarch whose three childhood wishes have been granted: lots of kids, a monkey and a Spanish castle.
At her 81 years old, one of her children needs to find the vertebra of his murdered great-grandmother, lost among the exorbitant amount of weird objects she has hoarded throughout her life, revealing a very picturesque family history.
This unique old lady is about to find the meaning of life.

Direction: Gustavo Salmeron

Script: Gustavo Salmeron, Raul de Torres, Beatriz Montañez

Production: Gustavo Salmeron

Cinematography: Gustavo Salmeron

Editing: Raul de Torres, Daniel Urdiales

Animation: Alberto Ovejero

Sound: Pelayo Gutierrez

Original Score: Nacho Mastretta

Cast: Julia Salmerón Sanz, Antonio García Cabanes, Gustavo Salmerón, Ramón García Salmerón, Paloma García-Cabanes Salmerón, David García Salmerón, Ignacio Salmerón, Julia Salmerón García

Original Title: MUCHOS HIJOS, UN MONO Y UN CASTILLO

Original Language: Spanish

Film Production Country: Spain

Social Media: twitter: @muchoshijospeli Instagram: muchoshijos

Statement of the Director/s
To those of us who tell stories, it’s to our benefit to be very aware of first impulses. Futhermore, if these impulses are ideas for an absurd and useless film, we should pay more attention. They are directly related to childhood, the roots of personal artistic creation.
All films, even dramas, should be treated like comedies, and comedies should be treated like dramas. To achieve this, we should go deep into honesty and show without any shame our beauty and misery, our lightness and darkness.
I can say that “Lots of Kids, a Monkey and a Castle” is a comedy and a drama, but also a chronicle, a tribute to a generation and a tale.
I started shooting the film 14 years ago without really knowing why, with a crazy plan, no crew, no script, without a clear idea. Just the desire of seeing my family through the lens of the camera and later watching it develop naturally on screen. They were real, authentic, there were no performances at all, just life. Especially my mother who, like the great comedian actors, gave her soul generously to the story without fear or expectations.
Thanks to the patience and consistency of 14 years of shooting, the vertigo caused by the lack of clarity and ideas revealed to be fascinating. The fascination of a clean canvas.
While this self-awareness progressed during the shooting, the adventure brought out immense joy. Meanwhile, life closely connected to magic, sent me signs. Hints directly related with the main theme of the film:
Turning your back on death is like deserting life. Embracing death in order to live with intensity.
And who better to send me these signs than my Great-Grandmother who was assassinated during the Spanish Civil War in 1936? So, thanks to the discovery of her vertebrae kept by my mother during all this years, I could find the meaning of this film.

Biography of the Director/s
Gustavo Salmerón, actor and director (Madrid, Spain, 1970). He worked as an actor in over thirty films by internationally renowned directors like Julio Medem, Agustín Villaronga, Manuel Gómez Pereira, J. Luis García Berlanga, Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón and Mario Camus, among others.
In 2001, he directed the short film "Desaliñada" (Salad Days) which won the Spanish Film Academy's Goya for Best Short Film.
It also won numerous international awards including: Best Short Film at Los Angeles International Film Festival, Gold Plaque at the Chicago International Film Festival, Best Short Award (Brest) of Canal+ France.
Since 2002 he has been directing, over the course of 14 years, the documentary "Lots of Kids, a Monkey and a Castle". The film won Grand Prix for Best Documentary at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Spot Light Award in the Cinema Eye Honors, Goya Award for Best Documentary, Platino Award for Best Latinamerican Documentary, Best Documentary in The Hamptons IFF, among others.

Filmography of the Director/s
- 2002, Salad Days.
- 2017, Lots of Kids, a Monkey and a Castle.

Awards Won
- Crystal Globe for Best Documentary Karlovy Vary IFF
- Spot Light Award Cinema Eye Honors (NYC)
- Goya Award
- Platino Award
- Best Documentary, The Hamptons IFF

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