Disinheritance, swimming pools, and magical moments of adolescence – looming over all this, the omnipresence of a clock that never stops, ticking and tocking, marking the passing of time.
We are immensely proud to offer a retrospective on the cinema of Clara Roquet, celebrating the release of her first feature LIBERTAD, which premiered at Semaine de la Critique Cannes 2021 and is likely to be one of the Spanish films of the year.
Two short films directed by Roquet, as well as key films written by the filmmaker. All together, they give a glimpse of the cinematic themes and obsessions that populate the Clara Roquet universe. Come join us as we delve into the filmography of Roquet, a director that is poised to be one of the key filmmakers of the next generation of Catalan and Spanish cinema.
The backbone of Clara Roquet’s cinema (when she directs and when she writes for others) is an empathy for those left off the screen: often maids, castaways, those disinherited.
Like Lucrecia Martel with Argentina’s bourgeoisie, Roquet’s interest in depicting a Catalan bourgeois class is constant. Her films are often set in big mansions and summer houses in the wealthy Costa Brava region.
But if there is one thing that defines the cinema of Clara Roquet – like that of other great filmmakers – it is her interest in the power of cinema to capture the passing of time. How to show with few images the transition from childhood to adolescence, girl to woman? How can the experience of pregnancy be shared with audiences, captured in moving images? Is it possible to give shape to those eternally slow days of long-distance lovers waiting for the next Skype call? Clara Roquet’s obsession with time links her with masters like Yasujirō Ozu, Andrei Tarkovsky and Latin feminist referents like Lucrecia Martel or Julia Solomonoff.
In our first edition of the Catalan Film Festival, we opened with El Adiós, Clara Roquet’s first short film. We immediately found an immense talent to be excited about, to keep track of, and to support. Now, six years later, we are incredibly happy to offer a retrospective on Clara Roquet’s films to date. So, come join us in watching what is a very special and emotional retrospective of the great Clara Roquet.
NEW SPANISH DIRECTORS is a project supported by Acción Cultural Española (AC/E) through the PICE’s grants programme for the Internationalization of Spanish Culture, as well as Institut Ramon Llull, Instituto Cervantes London, Screen Scotland, Film Hub Scotland
ELS DIES QUE VINDRAN
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Film title: The Days to Come
Title in original language (if applicable): Els Dies Que Vindran
Director: Carlos Marques-Marcet
Cast: Maria Rodríguez Soto, David Verdaguer
Year: 2019
Duration: 95 min
Language: Spanish, Catalan
Subtitles: English
Age certificate (or suggested age cert if the films have not gone through BBFC):
Format:
Synopsis: Vir and Lluis have been dating for a year now. Vir finds out she is pregnant. During the next nine months, Vir and Lluis will live their fears, joys, expectations and realities that, during their pregnancy, grow before them.
Festivals & Awards:
2020 Gaudí Awards, Best Film – Best Actress – Best Editing, Winners
Málaga Film Festival, Best Spanish Film – Best Actress – Best Director, Winners
Seattle Film Festival
Rotterdam Film Festival
Trailer:
10.000 KM
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Film title: 10.000 Km
Title in original language (if applicable): 10.000 Km
Director: Carlos Marques-Marcet
Cast: Natalia Tena, David Verdaguer
Country(ies) of production: Spain
Year: 2014
Duration: 100 min
Language: Spanish,English
Subtitles: English
Synopsis: Alex moves to Los Angeles for a new job; Sergi stays in Barcelona. They love each other, but maintaining a relationship through technology proves challenging.
Festivals & Awards:
European Film Awards, European Discovery, Nominee
2015 Goya Awards, Best New Director, Winner
2015 Gaudí Awards, Best Director – Best Screenplay – Best Actor – Best Actress – Best Non-Catalan Language Film, Winners
Málaga Film Festival, Best Film, Winner
Trailer:
L’OFRENA
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Film title: The Offering
Title in original language (if applicable): L’Ofrena
Director: Ventura Durall
Cast: Alex Brendemühl, Verónica Echegui, Anna Alarcón
Country(ies) of production: Spain
Year: 2020
Duration: 110 min
Language: Catalan
Subtitles: English
Synopsis: Jan, a mysterious character haunted by a deep feeling of guilt, tries to get Violeta back, a youth love he lost 20 years ago, with a sickening plan.
Festivals & Awards:
2021 Gaudí Awards, Best Supporting Actress, Winner
FIC-CAT Festival de Cinema en Català Costa Daurada
Trailer:
EL ADIOS
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Film title: The Goodbye
Title in original language (if applicable): El Adios
Director: Clara Roquet
Cast: Júlia Danés, Mercè Pons
Country(ies) of production: Spain
Year: 2015
Duration: 15 min
Language: Spanish, Catalan
Subtitles: English
Synopsis: A Bolivian maid attempts to honor her late mistress’s last wishes.
Festivals & Awards:
2016 Gaudí Awards, Best Short Film, Winner
Semana de Cine de Medina del Campo, Special Jury Award, Winner
BAFTA US Student Film Awards, Best Short Film, Winner
Trailer:
LES BONES NENES
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Film title: Good Girls
Title in original language (if applicable): Les Bones Nenes
Director: Clara Roquet
Cast: Nídia Chamorro, Ona Comas, Marta Marco
Country(ies) of production: Spain
Year: 2017
Duration: 17 min
Language: Catalan
Subtitles: English
Synopsis: Two sisters navigating the no man’s land between childhood and adulthood have to deal with the consequences of their actions after one of the horses of their farm loses one eye.
Festivals & Awards:
2018 Gaudí Awards, Best Short Film, Nominee
Festival de Cine de Guadalajara, Special Jury Mention, Winner
Festival de Cortometrajes de Aguilar de Campoo, Best Director, Winner
Trailer:
