Paco Arango

Francisco (Paco) Arango was born in Mexico City in 1962. He and his family moved to Spain when he was very young. He was educated in the United States (Deerfield Academy and Tufts University). Arango became a successful solo recording artist for Sony Records in Latin America and Spain. In 1999 he started his own television production company. He created and wrote several shows, one of which Ala Dina became one of Spain's top-rated shows, and ran for three seasons. In December 2011, he wrote and directed his first movie: "Maktub". The film was well received in Spain and garnered three nominations at the Spanish Academy (Goya) Awards. The movie's proceeds went to the construction of the "Maktub Center", the number one paediatric bone marrow transplant wing in Spain. Paco combines his passion for storytelling with a deep commitment to helping seriously ill children. "Fundación Aladina uses color and smiles to brighten hospital stays for each and every child, as well as their families. It fills me with joy to affirm that Aladina helps kids fight childhood cancer, so that it is never able to take away a child's smile. His foundation, Fundacion Aladina (www.aladina.org) provides psychological, emotional, and material assistance to many children and teenagers with cancer, and their families. Aladina believes in giving equal importance to physical and emotional health. Today, Fundación Aladina is a reality that helps more than 1,500 children and their families year after year throughout Spain and works in more than 14 hospitals. In 2008, Paco was elected to the Board of Directors of SeriousFun Children's Network, a foundation created by Paul Newman, which runs camps and programs for seriously ill children around the world. In 2012, Aladina thanks to the profits from Arango's first film, built one of Europe's most advanced paediatric bone marrow transplant centers, located in Madrid. In 2016, the foundation rebuilt Hospital Niño Jesús' ICU with a cost of over EUR 1.5 million, creating Aladina's ICU with the latest technology and comfortable installations for the families. His second film, "The Healer" (2017) , was the first film in the world to donate 100% of its proceeds to children with cancer or in vulnerable situations all over the world.. It features a cast of well-known actors and it's dedicated to Paul Newman. It was shown in 16 countries, was a major hit in Spain, México, Central America, and Colombia with more than 2,2 million viewers and nº1 in Netflix USA in July 2020. It is a feel-good movie about a man who doesn't know he has the power to heal, and it is suitable for families and people of all ages. Alec, the main character, gets a break to clear his debts in exchange for moving to rural Nova Scotia for a year. Once there, he discovers he can heal people, but struggles to accept this gift and the responsibilities that come with it. A teenager with cancer shows him the way. "The Healer" won several awards and recognitions in 2018: