Aina Clotet’s Alive in Critics’ Week and Maria Martinez Bayona’s The End Of It in Cannes Premiere are leading the charge for Catalonian filmmaking at Cannes, as the region showcases its thriving industry across the festival and market.
Furthermore, a cluster of international co-productions by Catalan producers premiering across official selection and beyond, and a delegation of more than 70 companies and 150 industry representatives, add to the Spanish region’s robust presence.
Alive (Viva) is the debut feature by Catalan actress and director Clotet and is produced by Ikiru Films and Funicular Films. Clotet, who also stars, recently drew international attention with comedy series This Is Not Sweden (Això No És Suècia), winning the best performance award in Canneseries in 2024. Alive follows a 40-year-old woman desperately needing to feel again in the wake of a life-threatening illness.
Directed by Catalan director Martinez Bayona, The End Of It is one of three films co-produced by Barcelona-based Fasten Films that are premiering on the Croisette. It is produced with the UK’s Elation Pictures and Norway’s Eye To Eye Pictures, with the support of The Mediapro Studio US/Canada and BBC Film.
Starring Rebecca Hall, Noomi Rapace and Gael Garcia Bernal, this is the first feature by Martinez Bayona, born in Catalonia but now living in the UK. The End Of It is set in a near-future where death is optional and the decision of an artist to end her life stirs conflict within her family.
It is a happy return to Cannes for Fasten Films’ Adria Monés, where the company’s co-production Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell by Pham Thien An played Directors’ Fortnight in 2023 and won the Caméra d’Or for best first feature. This year Fasten Films is also attending as minority co-producers of Laïla Marrakchi’s Strawberries in Un Certain Regard and Rehearsals For A Revolution, the documentary by Iranian actress and filmmaker Pegah Ahangarani, playing in Special Screenings.
“Talent, good film schools and universities and consistent public support through the Catalan film body ICEC [Institute of Cultural Companies], are among the key factors” for the region’s presence on the international scene, says Monés.
ICEC invested nearly $70m (€60m) in the region’s film sector last year.
Further Catalan co-productions in Cannes selection include Ashes by Mexican actor/director Diego Luna, playing in Special Screenings. It is produced by La Corriente del Golfo, Animal de Luz Films, Perro Azul and Catalan outlet Inicia Films, led by Valérie Delpierre.
Bruno Dumont’s Red Rocks is playing in Directors’ Fortnight and is a co-production with Catalan filmmaker Albert Serra and Montse Triola’s company Andergraun Films.
Aina Callejon’s short Me, You And The Cow is produced by Escac Films and features in La Cinéf film school’s official selection, whose jury is headed this year by Carla Simon. Elsewhere, the Immersive Competition selection also includes Catalan talent with The Black Mirror Experience, produced by Banijay Live and Barcelona-based Univrse. It is created by the company’s CEO and co-founder David Bardos and Damia Ferrandiz.
Catalonia’s presence in Cannes “showcases the strength, diversity and international ambition of its audiovisual ecosystem,” according to the Catalan government’s minister of culture Sonia Hernandez Almodovar. “With a growing number of companies, professionals and productions on the global stage, Catalan cinema is consolidating its position as one of the most outstanding industries in Europe, driven by talent, a solid infrastructure and a clear commitment to international co-production and innovation.”
Market presence
In the market, the Catalan industry is well supported by Catalan Films, the international promotional arm of ICEC and Catalunya Film Commission, to engage with international partners through various market initiatives.
The ‘Goes to Cannes’ collaborative showcase with key international festivals sees Daniel Romero’s The Daughters (Las Hijas), presented as part of Goes to Cannes/Tallinn Black Nights, and Alejandro Damiani and Martin Avdolov’s Cuando Yo Existía has been selected by Goes to Cannes/Ventana Sur.
Within the Spanish selection of Cannes Docs’ Docs in Progress are three feature documentaries in post-production: Neus Pages’ Un Fogal, Jorge Caballero’s Artefactos De Guerra and Efthymia Zymvragaki’s The Path That Walks.
Catalan Animation will also be present at the market with Sofia Carrillo’s Insectario in the Annecy Animation Showcase. Cesc Gay’s My Friend Eva and Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia’s The Platform are in Cannes Remakes.
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