20/08/2024 - The award-winning director of Summer 1993 and Alcarràs once again delves into her family history in her new feature, which includes Tristán Ulloa and Janet Novás in the cast

Director Carla Simón and some of the cast during the filming of Romería (© Mario Llorca)

Goya Award for Best New Director for Summer 1993 [+see also:
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interview: Carla Simón
film profile], after winning the Best First Film Award and the Grand Prix in the Generation Kplus section at the Berlinale, and Golden Bear at the same film festival for Alcarràs [+see also:
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interview: Carla Simón
interview: Carla Simón
interview: Giovanni Pompili
film profile], before being nominated for eleven Goya awards and in the film, director and screenplay categories at the European Film Awards. A host of awards at numerous festivals and the unanimous applause of the critics, the Catalan director Carla Simón has enjoyed spectacular international success. This streak is set to continue with her long-awaited third film, the shooting of which began at the beginning of August. The film is entitled Romería and, as in her previous works, continues to explore family relations; this time exploring her paternal side.

The main cast includes newcomers Llúcia Garcia and Mitch, along with Tristán Ulloa (currently in the series Berlin and The Asunta Case [+see also:
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interview: Jaione Camborda
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Written by Simón herself and with clear personal connotations, the plot follows Marina (Llúcia Garcia) who travels to the Galician city of Vigo to meet the family of her biological father. Like her mother, he died of AIDS when she was very young. Through meeting her uncles, aunts and grandparents, Marina tries to reconstruct a coherent account of her father and the love story he had with her mother. However, she fails to do this because they are all too ashamed of the couple's drug problems, something that Marina reminds them of with her presence. But the teenage love story she has with her cousin (Mitch) allows her to reimagine her parents and connect with them. With her mother's diary, she invents a story that frees her from the stigma her family feels towards them and fulfils her desire to understand the past.

According to the filmmaker, “I’m lucky to be part of a big family full of stories that have been my source of inspiration. I find family relations fascinating because we don't choose them. Family is the source of many conflicts, traumas and fights, but also of love, trust and deep loyalty.” She concludes, “Romería is not only the story of my family, but of a whole generation that disappeared at the end of the last century touched by AIDS and of all the orphans left behind with no roots, past or memories.”

Romería is produced by María Zamora - who at the next San Sebastian Film Festival will receive the Spanish Ministry of Culture's 2024 National Cinematography Award (last year won by Carla Simón) - for Elastica in co-production with Ventall Cinema (Germany), Dos Soles Media and Romería Vigo A.I.E. It is funded by the Spanish Film Institute (ICAA), Institut Català de les Empreses Culturals, Xunta de Galicia, Eurimages, Europa Creativa MEDIA, FFA, Community of Madrid, RTVE, Vodafone, Movistar Plus+, Netflix, 3Cat, ZDF/ARTE and The Post Republic. The film will be distributed in Spain by Elastica and its international sales will be managed by the French agency mk2 Films.

(Translated from Spanish by Vicky York)