- Catalan talent will be widely present this year, with five Catalan productions participating on the Festival and six projects selected within the framework of Marché du Film
The 76th edition of the Festival de Cannes will be held from May 16 to May 27. Catalan talent will be widely present this year, with five Catalan productions participating on the Festival and six projects selected within the framework of Marché du Film, as well as a highlighted presence of over seventy film companies that will participate in the professional activities of the market.
Five Catalan productions selected at Festival de Cannes
The new wave of Catalan cinema will shine this year at Cannes with Elena Martín and her second feature film,Creatura(Lastor Media, Vilaut Films, Avalon, Elastica Films, S/B Films), competing in the Official SectionQuinzaine des Cinéastes. After debuting with Júlia Ist, the Catalan director returns with a drama set on Costa Brava where she explores female desire and sexual repression. The film has been co-written by herself and Clara Roquet, and the cinematography has been directed by Alana Mejía González, who has also been the cinematographer for the short film The Real Truth about the Fight, selected at the Semaine de la Critique and co-produced by the Catalan Fractal 7.
Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell,the debut feature film by Vietnamese director Pham Thien An, is a co-production between Fasten Films, JK Film, Potocol and Deuxième Ligne that will also compete in the Official Selection of Quinzaine. Through the mystical landscapes of rural Vietnam, Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell, narrates the emotional journey of a man who returns to his village, where he is haunted by memories and desires.
Catalan animation Robot Dreamsby Pablo Berger (Blancanieves) has been selected at the Official Section of Festival de CannesSpecial Screenings. The director does his first incursion in the animation world with Robot Dreams (Arcadia Motion Pictures, Noodles Production, Les Films du Worso, Lokiz Films AIE), a friendship story set in the 80's New York.
The Catalan short film, on the other hand, stands out with selections at Semaine de la Critique and La Cinéf (Cinéfondation). The short film The Real Truth about the Fight(Fractal 7, Antitalent), directed by Andrea Slaviček, is a co-production between Catalonia and Croatia that will take part on the Official Selection of short films ofSemaine de la Critique.
In the frame of La Cinéf, a section created to display short films produced by international film schools, Crack of Dawn(ESCAC Films) by Anna Llargués has been selected.
Highlighted Catalan industry at Marché du Film
On this year’s edition, Catalan industry will play a leading role at Marché du Film with a total of six selected projects in different sections as well as a delegation of over seventy companies. In addition, Spain has been named as country of honour and in that context there will be many industry activities(Spanish Screenings goes to Cannes, Spain Showcase at Cannes Docs or Spotlight Asia, among others), as well as conferences and panels about tax incentives and distributions, and various networking activities.
Catalan Films and the Catalunya film Commission have organized a coproduction meeting with the Nordic countries (Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Iceland) to stimulate the relationships among companies between Catalonia and these territories, as well as to attract shootings and boost creative and technical talent. Short Film Corner will welcome a spotlight of Shortcat 2023 and the Catalan producers will be able to meet with programmers of short film festivals to promote their last works. Finally, within the context of Producers Network, there will be the presentation of Shoot&Coproduce, an essential tool to boost the coproduction between Catalonia and the world.
Three Catalan projects in post-production will be part of the Spanish Screenings Goes to Cannes. The selected titles are: Sima’s Song(Alba Sotorra, Baldr and Urban Factory), by Roya Sadat,Werewolf(Galápagos Media, Dacsa Produccions), by Pau Calpe and Jumping the Fence(Filmax, Cine 365 Films, Virtual Contenidos and Noodles Productions), by Benito Zambrano.
Catalan animation cinema will be showcased at Marché du Film through the initiative Annecy Goes to Cannes, that this year has selected the feature filmRock Bottom(Alba Sotorra, Jaibo Films, GSAnimation&Empatic), by Maria Trénor.
As for industry activities, there will be Catalan representation with Xavier Font, producer of Sica (Alba Sotorra, Miramemira, Zuzú Cinema, Amorambre Films, Film Market Fund, Sica Alba Sotorra AIE) that premiered at the past Berlinale, who has been selected to be part of the Spanish Spotlight of Producers Network.
In addition, The Chapel(Filmax i Bixagu Entertainment), by Carlota Pereda, is the project selected by the Sitges Festivalas part of Fantastic 7, a program that seeks to support fantastic genre cinema with the collaboration of seven film festivals that every year choose a project.
Documentary cinema will also have Catalan presence at Marché du Film, with the project A Tree is a Tree (SuicaFilms, Lastor Media, AXFilms), by Carlos Marqués-Marcet and Aleix Plademunt, presented at the Spanish Showcase of Cannes Docs, a documentary-focused industry program that displays a curated selection of projects in final stages of their production.
On the other hand, the catalan companies Funicular Filmsand Alba Sotorra Cinema Productionswill present work in progress projects at the Spotlight Asia.
As every year, Catalan short films will also be protagonists at Short Film Corner, the market meeting point for the short film industry. The six Catalan short films selected at Shortcat 2023will be accessible for buyers and distributors. The selected titles are:
- Blow (Distinto Films, El Kinògraf, Dos Soles), by Neus Ballús
- Carmen, No Fear of Freedom(15-L Films), by Irene Baqué
- He Run Along His Comrade(BOL Production House), by Genís Rigol
- Once You Were(Zabriskie Films), by Gerard Oms
- Sour Candy(Amor y Lujo, Rozog Film), by Mar Pawlowski
- Sushi(WKND, Dos Soles, Los Montoya), by Iván Morales
And lastly, once again ICEC will be present at Marché du Film with the representation of Catalan Films and Catalunya Film Commission, with a stand available for companies and Catalan professionals (Riviera A4).