Kikol Grau was born in Barcelona in 1971 and holds a degree in History from the University of Barcelona. His filmmaking practice has been marked by a strong interest in counterculture, archival experimentation, and the intersections between history, music, and political imagination.
After directing Objetivo Gadafi in 2014, Grau developed a trilogy focused on Basque punk in the 1980s, comprising Las más macabras de las vidas, Inadaptados, and No somos nada. In 2017, he released Spanish Magnicides and Poe, followed by a shift towards the fantastic with Moctezuma Grau. Descendencia mortal, which premiered in Gijón. Subsequent works such as La transacción and Histeria de España were selected at the Seville European Film Festival.
With the trilogy Los demenciales chicos acelerados, Grau explored punk scenes during the Spanish Transition across Barcelona, Euskadi, and Madrid, further consolidating his distinctive essayistic and irreverent approach to documentary form.
Turismo de guerra (2024) marks a significant turning point in his career as his first film constructed primarily from original footage rather than archival material. The production was supported by a Contrapicada fellowship and the Corte Final award from Documenta Madrid.
