Until Dawn
by Antonio Hens
Synopsis | Cast & Crew | Technical Information
José, a 22-year-old undocumented Venezuelan immigrant in Carabanchel, Madrid, spends a single day and night hustling — dealing hash, doing sex work for older clients — to scrape together 300 euros his distant mother is guilt-tripping him into sending for her boyfriend's "medical emergency."
Between violent scrapes with a predatory client and a friend who owes him money, he chases a girl, Elvira, who ultimately rejects him and suggests he might be gay. Throughout, he leans on Ángel, his childhood best friend — a trans-feminine dancer and sex worker — for money and comfort, while publicly denying how much Ángel means to him.
After a chaotic night that includes a threesome, his mother's hollow phone call, and José stabbing a mugger to protect Ángel, dawn finds him finally dropping his defenses and letting real tenderness with Ángel through.
Cast
Fernando Valbuena
Manuel Salazar
Héctor Gutiérrez
Director Bio
Antonio Hens studied English Language and Literature in Granada University and Film Making at the ECAM, the Spanish Film School. He steadily works for the television producing TV series and runs production company Malas Compañías since 1996. As a producer, Hens' work spans a portfolio of over 20 titles. He has also directed several features and was internationally awarded: Clandestinos (2007, 5 Awards, as Best Feature at Sarajevo Int. Film Festival); The Last Match (2013, Best Film at Festival Roze de Ámsterdam); Oh Mammy Blue (2018, in co-production with Media Luna, Germany), Mi Gran Despedida (2020)
Director Statement
For years, in the center of Madrid, I have walked past a small nightclub with a grimy façade, where young Latin American men in their twenties gather, openly living their LGBTQ+ identity—as if they'd found a paradise where they could finally be free.
I first approached these communities through drag queens performing at that venue, building improvisations from their real experiences, then ran a workshop in Anne Bogart's Viewpoints, and gathered scenes from what they'd actually lived: clients, police conflicts, rivalries, and ties to family back home or abroad.
The project portrays a contemporary Madrid, where nearly a third of residents are immigrants. The story moves between Carabanchel, home to the protagonist, and the nightlife downtown—exploring raw intimacy, hypersexualized language, and the vulnerability of bodies as the only means of expression.
Crew
Written by Antonio Hens
Director of Photography: César Hernando
Edited by Pablo Barce
Produced by Antonio Hens
Co-producer: Txema Martín
Line producer: César Martínez
Music by Hada Leyva, Peña & delMoral
Art director: Lino Escalera
Costumes: Cristina Montero
Sound design: Fede Pajaro
Original title: Hasta al amanecer | 90 minutes | Spanish OV | Audio 5.1 | Colour | Aspect Ratio 1,85:1
Photo Gallery
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