agustí villaronga

His legacy includes first Catalan-speaking film selected by Spain for Oscars and 28 Gaudí prizes

The filming of award-winning director Agustí Villarongas' new movie, a cinematic adaption of the classic novel by Catalan author Joan Sales about the Spanish Civil War, has already started in Aragon in north-eastern Spain. Written in 1956, 'Uncertain Glory' is considered to be one of the most important works in Catalan literature of the twentieth century, and its English translation by Peter Bush was chosen on the list of 10 best novels of 2014 by The Economist. It is the first Catalan novel portraying the Civil War through the losing Republicans’ eyes, and for many it is the greatest depiction of the whole war. The film is scheduled to arrive in cinemas in 2017. 

Isona Passola, the producer of the internationally-acclaimed Catalan film ‘Pa Negre’ (Black Bread), the Spanish contender for an Oscar in 2013, believes that “Catalan culture can be appreciated worldwide”. Passola has made many historical documentaries and is now convinced that “life acquires meaning when working for collective benefit”. Last year she presented ‘L’Endemà’, a documentary aimed at countering the arguments against Catalan independence and financed through crowd-funding. Passola, the current president of the Catalan Film Academy, is “a true defender of the right to form a family” and “has never lost the joie de vivre”.

‘Black Bread’ (‘Pa Negre’), which was shot in Catalan, will represent Spain at the Oscars. Literature Nobel Prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa, chef Ferran Adrià, soccer player Gerard Piqué, tenor Josep Carreras, artist Miquel Barceló, filmmaker Isabel Coixet, chef José Andrés, psychiatrist Luis Rojas Marcos and dancer Rafael Amargo are some of the celebrities who have participated in a video sponsoring the film in its quest to win an Oscar nomination. The film depicts the horrible period after the Spanish Civil War through the experiences of a young boy living in rural Catalonia.

In an historical decision, the Catalan Academy of Cinema chose a movie entirely in Catalan to represent Spain at the Oscars awards. ‘Pa negre’ (‘Black bread’) was the absolute winner of the last awards of the Spanish Academy awards, surprising everyone. However, the fact of it being in Catalan and that the movie competed with Almodóvar’s ‘The Skin I Live In’ made it difficult to predict if the movie was to finally represent Spain at the world’s top awards.

‘Pa negre’ (Black Bread), directed by Agustí Villaronga and shot entirely in Catalan, was the main winner of the last Spanish film awards surprising everyone. Now it has been pre-selected together with Pedro Almodóvar’s latest movie ‘La piel que habito’ ('The Skin I Live In') and Benito Zambrano’s ‘La voz dormida’ (The Sleeping Voice). The film that will represent Spain will be known on September 28th.

The Catalan movie 'Pa Negre', directed by Agustí Villaronga and filmed entirely in Catalan, is a huge hit at the Goya Awards taking home 9 awards out of 14 nominations, including the awards for the best film, the best director, and 4 of the 6 acting awards. The movie pictures the dark years after the Spanish Civil War in Catalonia.

Three Catalan movies compete in various categories at the Berlinale film festival. In addition, during the 10 days of festival, 13 Catalan movies are screened to the public in the German capital.

The Spanish Cinema Now Film Festival began last Tuesday in New York’s Lincoln Center. The festival is honouring Mallorcan film director Agustí Villaronga this year, who mainly shoots his films in Catalan language.