Spain already has its three candidates to travel to Hollywood in the next edition of the Oscars. We are not yet talking about official nominations, but about the pre-selection of the Spanish Film Academy, which will choose on September 17 which film will compete for the award for Best International Film.
What makes this shortlist special is that all the proposals have a Catalan link, either by director, filming or echoes of the film circuit. It is a way of seeing how Catalan cinema continues to leave its mark beyond our borders, from Cannes to New York.
The three films selected by the Academy of Spanish Cinema
Romería, the new gem by Carla Simón
After conquering half the world with Alcarràs, the Barcelona director returns with Romería. An intimate and poetic film about memory and family that already charmed at Cannes. The fact that Simón is on the list is almost a ritual: her films are one of Catalonia’s best letters of introduction abroad.
Sirat
The director Oliver Laxe signs this story shot between rave and desert, which won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes. Although she is not Catalan by birth, her journey through the indie circuit connects with an audience very similar to the one that fills theaters in Barcelona to discover different cinema.
Sorda
Directed by Eva Libertad, it tells the story of the life of a couple in which she, who is deaf, and he, who is hearing, face the challenge of becoming parents. The film, applauded at the Berlinale and in Malaga, has attracted attention for its authenticity and delicacy. A cinema that, although small, speaks in capital letters.