Perspectives on Rural Catalonia (Shorts & Conversation)

Language: Catalan, Spanish with English subtitles.

Part of the 8th Scotland Catalan Film Festival, organised by CinemaAttic and Institut Ramon Llull.

A programme of short films and a conversation with directors Alba Bresolí and Meritxell Colell on the new wave of Catalan cinema and literature reflecting on the rural world and Catalan countryside.

In 2022, a film set in rural Catalonia won the Golden Bear in Berlinale (Alcarràs by Carla Simón), while mythical Catalonia was rediscovered in Irene Solà’s playful novel When I Sing, Mountains Dance (winner of the European Union Prize for Literature and included in The Guardian’s Top Fiction of 2022).

Although sometimes portrayed as a new trend, Catalan cinema and literature has a track record of authors seeking refuge in and inspiration from the countryside. We take this opportunity to bring together a programme of short films and discuss the topic with Catalan Directors Alba Bresolí and Meritxell Colell – both of whom have directed films set in the countryside.

Films showing in this programme:

When the Mountain Rumbles – Alba Bresolí
Original title: El día que volaron la montaña

Three aging brothers must face an uncertain future and the inevitable end to years of self-imposed isolation in the abandoned village of Escó in Spain. Today, the construction of a motorway to the Pyrenees threatens Escó’s existence once again. What will be the final fate of the brothers and the curious place they call home?

Festivals: IndieLisboa, IDFA, Festival de Malaga, Sheffield Doc/Fest

Can Gardell – Flor Aliberti, Sílvia Subirós

For generations, the Gardell family have devoted themselves to a life working the land. An unexpected change in the legal conditions of the land they farm gives Tomàs and Maria no choice but to turn their farm into a B&B, where they patiently wait for guests to arrive. Can Gardell is a fictional story with real characters; a portrait of a form of rural life that no longer seems to fit our modern times.

Festivals: IndieLisboa, ZINEBI, MECAL.

Part of the 8th Scotland Catalan Film Festival, organised by CinemaAttic and Institut Ramon Llull.

In order to make our film offering accessible to all, CinemaAttic is using sliding scale ticketing. Suggested price of admission is £10, but you may pay as much or as little as you can afford at the moment.