Catalan Film Festival returns to Scotland

It’s cold outside, but there’s a new wave of Mediterranean vibes to warm up your winter season. The Catalan Film Festival returns to Scotland, 21 January – 15 February 2023, across Dundee, Glasgow, Edinburgh and online.

2022 was a historic year for Catalan cinema, as the Berlinale Festival crowned for the first time ever a Catalan-language film (Carla Simón’s Alcarràs) with the prestigious Golden Bear Award, and Albert Serra’s Pacifiction was named Best Film of 2022 by French magazine Cahiers du Cinéma.

This year the festival will pay particular attention to the beauty and inspiration of the Catalan countryside in modern literature and cinema.

The programme celebrates the uniqueness of Catalan culture in Scotland, including the UK premieres of One Year, One Night and My Emptiness and I (Mi Vacio Y Yo), and the winner of the Berlinale Golden Bear award, Carla Simón’s stunning Alcarràs.

The festival will have a preview special screening at Glasgow Film Theatre on January 3rd, rediscovering some of the early films of Catalan director Carla Simón, including short films, filmed letters and her opera prima Estiu 1993.

In a unique strand of the programme, the Catalan Film Festival will host the UK premiere of Meritxell Colell’s Duo, a poetic journey in which she once again captures her obsession with physicality, dance, bodies, cinema, super 8 films, and the telluric forces (aka emotions) that surround us. The screening will be followed by a free workshop the following day where Colell will dissect the process of making the film. Book your free workshop ticket here.

The festival had its official opening in Edinburgh on January 21st with the traditional “Festa Major” Opening Party bringing together Catalan food, short films and a Castellers show (human towers), reclaiming the social value of cinema and community spirit.

With an exciting and varied programme of screenings, workshops and events across the country, you won’t want to miss this. View the full programme of events here.

For tickets, please visit: catalanfilmfestival.com.