Spain’s northeast region of Catalonia has a long and fruitful history of Berlinale success, including Carla Simón’s 2022 Golden Bear winner Alcarràs and last year’s Deaf, a first feature by Eva Libertad about a deaf woman facing the challenges of motherhood. It won the Berlinale Panorama audience award.
Now, at the 76th edition of the Berlinale, the charge is led by series Ravalear: Not For Sale in Berlinale Special Series and Panorama entry Iván & Hadoum. They are among the highlights of the official selection, which also includes another Panorama title: co-production Narciso by Paraguayan director Marcelo Martinessi; and the short Stallion And A Crystal Ball by Christian Avilés, in Berlinale Shorts.
The six-part Ravalear: Not For Sale is premiering in the non-competitive Berlinale Special. Set in a part of Barcelona’s Old Town known as El Raval, it tells the story of a family restaurant threatened with eviction when an investment fund buys the building.
It has been produced by Barcelona-based Arcadia Motion Pictures with Supernova, 3Cat and Eter Pictures AIE and Belgium’s Umedia, alongside the support of the Catalan regional government for series and Catalan public TV (3Cat) and the Creative Europe MEDIA programme. International sales are handled by Filmax.
Directed by Pol Rodríguez and Isaki Lacuesta, the series is inspired by the personal history of Rodríguez’s family. “They owned a well-known traditional Catalan restaurant in Barcelona,” says producer Sandra Tapia from Arcadia Motion Pictures. “It went back generations, but they had to close it as a result of the pandemic and real-estate pressures. The series is a cinematic revenge of sorts.”
Co-director Lacuesta’s feature One Year, One Night screened in competition at the Berlinale in 2022.
Ravalear: Not For Sale is an example of Catalonia’s dynamic TV production sector, spurred by the support from the regional government. The Catalan film body, within the Catalan Institute for Cultural Companies (ICEC), set up a series production fund in 2022 that provides up to €1.5m ($1.8m) per project with a minimum budget of €4m ($4.8m).
Panorama titles
The two titles premiering in Panorama backed by Catalan companies are both international co-productions. Barcelona-based Vayolet Films joined Ian de la Rosa’s Iván & Hadoum, led by Spanish production company Avalon with Pecado Films, alongside Port Au Prince Films in Germany and Saga Film in Belgium.
This is de la Rosa’s first feature, a story set in Andalusia about a greenhouse worker who falls in love with his newly hired colleague. The film won the €20,000 ($24,000) Eurimages co-production development award at the Berlinale in 2023.
BTeam Prods — based in Madrid and Barcelona — joined the international co-production of Narciso with La Babosa Cine (Paraguay), Esquina Filmes (Brazil), Pandora Film Produktion (Germany), Oublaum Filmes (Portugal), La Fabrica Nocturna Cinéma (France), Bocacha Films and Guay Films (both Uruguay). It is based on the novel by author Guido Rodríguez Alcalá, set in Paraguay in 1959, about a radio host who is murdered in strange circumstances.
Narciso marks the return of director Marcelo Martinessi. His first feature The Heiresses won two Silver Bears in 2018: the Alfred Bauer prize and best actress for Ana Brun.
“The audiovisual sector is a strategic investment for the Catalan government,” says Edgar Garcia, director of the ICEC. “It has built a strong alliance with the private stakeholders operating in the sector, nurturing productions that connect with both critics and audiences. The diversity of projects — with production companies exploring a varied slate of formats and genres and open to international co-productions — is one of the driving forces of this rich ecosystem.”
Industry activities
More than 90 Catalan companies and 140 professionals from the region are attending the European Film Market (EFM).
The selection of projects in different market strands include: first feature project Cura Sana, by Lucía G Romero, produced by Filmax in the Co-Production Market; Porto Alegre by Álvaro Gago, produced by Ringo Media in Catalonia and Sétima in Galicia in the Berlinale Talent Project Market; Robbery, Beating And Death in the Berlinale Series Market Co-Pro Series; Callback and Assassin In Paradise, both in the Berlinale Series Market Series Match; and Goya, Cave Of Dreams at the EFM’s inaugural Animation Days.
Additionally, seven rising Catalan talents are taking part in Berlinale Talents: producers Maria Riera Peris, Montse Pujol and Mireia Graell; director, writer and producer Paloma Zapata; producer Estephania Bonnett; actress Zoe Stein and director and editor Juan Carrano.
Contact: Catalan Films
Find out more: catalanfilms.cat/ca
