"A Barcelona of cinema (?)". That was (with or without a question mark, we'll get there) the title of the conversation I had to moderate between two profiles as contrasted as they were complementary in Catalan audiovisuals: Joel Joan and Eva Vila. He, a well-known face and an uncomfortable voice (and let it be known that this is a compliment) of mainstream cinema, that of television, stages, and platforms. She, a keen and committed eye, a purebred documentarian and director of the Master's in Creative Documentary at UPF-BSM. Two worlds, two ways of understanding the narrative, and a city as a possible shared stage: Barcelona.
I warned from the outset that perhaps we should have put a question mark in the title of this Moments Estel·lars session. Because I wasn't entirely sure if there would be consensus between them regarding the idea that Catalan cinema is experiencing a good moment. And yes: intuition confirmed. Joan, skeptical and with his ammunition well loaded. Vila, more aligned with the optimistic spirit of the proposal. And so it was: a dialogue in two voices, rich, tense (in the best sense), one of those that don't allow themselves the luxury of commonplaces.
Is Catalan cinema that which is not made in Catalan? Here, no half measures: yes and no, in full. Are we experiencing a particularly good moment for our cinema? Again: yes and no. Awards or audience? What should mark success? Third round, and a third time that the answer does not come with concessions. Sharp contrast.
At the end, a lady from the audience approached me and said: "It flew by. I didn't think about anything else during the whole talk." And I, mentally, checked off that type of quality indicator that doesn't appear in the metrics but says it all.
In fact, it was one of the longest conversations we've had at Casa Seat. And we could have continued, because the debate touched on many more keys than we had in the script: the role of a film academy that believes in itself, sustainability, the construction of imaginaries (linguistic, cultural, political) and, ultimately, the need to have (or dispute) a collective narrative that includes us.
All this with a (creative) tension that was palpable in every exchange between Vila and Joan. I didn't ask them if they would ever see themselves working together on a project. It wasn't necessary: the answer seemed obvious. And there was no need to force a chemistry that, precisely because it clashed, shone.
Now then: if one day they manage to understand each other, I'm telling you now: the filming, in itself, would be a movie story. One of those that don't leave you indifferent. Like their big moment at Casa Seat.