Benjamina Miyar

Benjamina Miyar Díaz of Corao, Cangas de Onís, Spain, (9 August 1888 – 7 August 1961) was a professional photographer, watchmaker and member of the Spanish anti-fascist resistance causing her to be imprisoned four times between 1938 and 1950. Her life became the subject of a 2020 documentary.

Biography Benjamina Miyar was the daughter of María Manuela Díaz Montero and Roberto Miyar Álvarez, a Marxist and bohemian watchmaker in Corao, Spain. Descended from a family of booksellers and watchmakers, her father was a cousin of Basilio Sobrecueva Miyar, founder of the Corao watch factory and also related to the liberal bookseller Antonio Miyar. Benjamina's childhood combined detailed manual work as well as literature and art. The family lived on an estate called Calle l'Agua, where her cousins also lived. She studied at the Corao girls' school.

Civil War and postwar period With the Spanish Civil War in 1936, Miyar became a member of the anti-fascist resistance, a republican. When national troops entered Corao, she guarded her father's workshop to prevent looting by the soldiers. She received the OpenEcam Work-in-progress award at the 2019 Gijón International Film Festival (FICX 2019) and seven more prizes at FICX 2020 including Best Director, Audience and Best Screenplay Awards.