Producer and creator César Benítez has been awarded the Joan Ramón Mainat 2026 Award at the 18th edition of the Vitoria-Gasteiz Television Festival, also known as FesTVal. The award recognizes more than four decades of his work shaping the Spanish and international audiovisual industry.
The award presentation will take place on Sept. 12, 2026, at the Europa Conference Center in Vitoria-Gasteiz during the closing gala of the festival, which runs from Sept. 7 to Sept. 12. The event will also feature the presentation of the upcoming television season and the launch of a new digital terrestrial television channel.
Television and film productions
Benítez is the founder and executive producer of major production companies Boca a Boca and Plano a Plano. His television credits include launching daily drama with the series Al salir de clase, driving the adaptation of the game show Pasapalabra, and producing the hit series El Príncipe, a Ceuta-set drama previously recognized by critics at FesTVal.
In recent years, Benítez has adapted his work to evolving viewer habits across multiple genres. His production portfolio includes comedies like Allí abajo, thrillers such as La Verdad and Toy Boy, the daily police series Servir y proteger, and streaming hits like Valeria and Un cuento perfecto.
His work in television is complemented by a film career featuring notable Spanish comedies and dramas, including El amor perjudica seriamente la salud, Boca a boca, Perdona bonita, pero Lucas me quería a mí, Entre las piernas, and La Tregua. Projects led by Benítez have won major honors, including Ondas, Iris, Antena de Oro, and Goya awards.
History of the Joan Ramón Mainat Award
The Joan Ramón Mainat Award was created in 2009 in memory of the late Catalan journalist and producer Joan Ramón Mainat, who was behind popular shows such as Operación Triunfo and Crónicas Marcianas. Organizers grant the honor in consensus with the Mainat family to highlight influential leaders in the industry.
With this award, Benítez joins a list of previous honorees that includes prominent figures such as Chicho Ibáñez Serrador, Concha Velasco, Iñaki Gabilondo, Mercedes Milá, and Daniel Écija. Recent recipients of the award include television figures Ramón García, Carlos Franganillo, Roberto Leal, and Vicente Vallés.
