Trujillo's brother Manuel learned to operate film projectors through an associate, Luis Manuel Méndez. From this role, many sources credited Manuel and sometimes both Manuel and Guillermo as the creators of the first Venezuelan films. The films are titled Un célebre especialista sacando muelas en el gran Hotel Europa and Muchachos bañándose en el lago de Maracaibo; the narrative nature and early production of the films is a matter of pride across Venezuela and particularly in the state of Zulia; the day of the films' premiere, 28 January, is both National Day of Cinema and the "Day of Zulian Identity" in the state.
