Malaga woman directs the biggest Spanish premiere of the week at just 23

There are some first times that stay with you forever. Like a first love. A summer song. Or a film that opens in cinemas all over Spain and has your name in the credits as director. Ana de Alva is from Malaga, she is 23 years old and recently made her debut on the big screen with Voy a Pasármelo Mejor, a sequel which picks up the baton from blockbuster musical comedy Voy a Pasármelo Bien.

The plot returns to Valladolid and follows 'los pitus', a group of friends at a summer camp facing relatable problems of adolescence: first loves, discoveries and many songs from the 90s. On 18 July, the film was released in cinemas and the director is very excited: "I'm nervous on the inside, but I'm focused on enjoying it."

Filmmaker David Serrano, director of the first instalment of Voy a Pasármelo Bien, met Ana de Alva in Madrid, when they both worked on the musical Grease: "The first day of rehearsal I told him: 'I want to be a director. What should I do? He told me: 'Start studying.' I did."

Later, Serrano himself took her to several shoots and when he decided not to direct the second part of the film, he did not hesitate to propose Ana's name to the producer of the saga, Enrique López Lavigne. Ana accepted, but on one condition: absolute freedom: "They told me: 'Do what you want. The film is yours.' And so it was. I was able to put my stamp on it."

The result is a film that follows in the footsteps of the first one, while simultaneously moving away from repeated formulas. It expands the musical repertoire beyond the songs of Spanish group Hombres G. It introduces new visual codes. And it allows itself to play with the emotional rhythm: from humour to lump-in-the-throat moments.

The filming was express: 25 days in Spain and Mexico. Frenetic pace, different cultures and an earthquake alert in between: "It was a challenge. Mexico was the most complicated, but also the most beautiful. The people were wonderful. Everything was colourful."

Ana de Alva not only directed, she was involved in every phase of the process. Despite her age, no one questioned her: "I was brave. I put on my director's hat and nobody pushed me away."

The soundtrack also bears her signature. Although she didn't live through the 90s, she chose songs that could connect with today's audiences: "We wanted it to be more than just a group like Hombres G. We opened up to songs that would also connect with Mexican audiences and young people." In this second part, there are big hits by Spanish artists such as Duncan Dhu, Miguel Bosé and Chimo Bayo.

Ana de Alva is proud of her origins. She was born in 2001 and grew up in Alhaurín de la Torre. She trained in dance at Conservatorio Pepa Flores, in music at Manuel Carra and continued her studies at the ESAEM school for performing arts. Her artistic sensitivity, however, came from home. Her mother, aunts and grandfather are all music teachers. "I think that coming from a family of artists and from Malaga is one of the best things that could have happened to me," said De Alva.

"The conservatoire gave me a discipline that I apply to everything. It was the key to understanding artistic work as something serious," explained the Malaga-born artist. At the age of 17, she left her home town to take to the stage in a Madrid production of Grease. She was the only Andalusian cast member and played a total of nine different characters. "Everything was very new. Everyone came from big musicals. I came from Malaga, with no experience, but with a lot of enthusiasm," she said.

Although acting gave her joy, there was something that was stronger: "Since I was a little girl, I used to dress up as a headmistress. I wanted to have a folding chair. I was fascinated by how everything I saw on screen was created." So she decided to study screenwriting and directing. Her first short film, Canicas, made it into the Official Section of the Malaga Festival. And there she began to turn the wheel that has now led her to her early debut as a director with Voy a Pasármelo Mejor.

The film once again focuses on 'los pitus', the group of young people who starred in the first instalment. "They were the best thing about filming. People who don't judge, who say yes to everything, who want to learn. It's been a gift to work with them," said De Alva.

When asked if she feels part of a new generation of female directors, she didn't hesitate: "Absolutely. I'm here because other women have worked their way up before. I hope that soon we won't have to justify why we occupy certain places. We need to stop asking for permission because they are places that belong to us."

Now, the Malaga-born artist is immersed in new projects. She can't talk about them yet, but she is clear about her journey: her own stories, written and directed by her. "I want to do my own scripts. I will continue in this line of comedy that also makes you cry."

And best of all, she never forgets her homeland: "I'm thrilled when people find out that I'm from there. It would be incredible to shoot something big in Malaga."

For the time being, Ana de Alva has made a film that moves, entertains and leaves its mark. She is 23 years old, but she directs as if she has been behind the camera all her life. Voy a Pasármelo Mejor is her debut, but also an invitation to follow her career very closely.