Juan Manuel Cotelo is a Spanish filmmaker born on July 7, 1966 in Madrid, known for his films exploring themes of faith, forgiveness, reconciliation and family values. He is a journalist, director, screenwriter, actor and producer and a member of the Spanish Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences and the Spanish Academy of Television.

Cotelo debuted as a feature film director in 1998 with El sudor de los ruiseñores, an award-winning film for screenplay and direction. In 2008, he founded the production company Infinito + 1, through which he has made films with international impact, including

- Footprints (2016) - the story of a pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago.

- El mayor regalo (2018) - a film about forgiveness and reconciliation, with testimonies from six countries, which became the most watched documentary in Spain in 2018. 

- Tengamos la fiesta en paz (2021) - crowdfunded musical comedy about family unity.

Cotelo considers his films to be "stories of love and hope", inspired by the Gospel and aimed at a wide audience. He rejects the label "value cinema", preferring to say he makes "movies about life". 

Through Infinito + 1 and the Infinito Foundation, he supports people in need in the countries where his films are shown. 

Director Juan Manuel Cotelo has received numerous awards, including:

- CEC Revelation Award for El sudor de los ruiseñores. 

- Comunicar con Valores Prize (2019), awarded by the Archdiocese of Zaragoza. 

- Ola de Oro at the Family Film Award for El mayor regalo.