The Catalan Film Days will be held for the third time in Belgrade, from October 24 to 27, at the Yugoslav Film Archive (Kosovska 11).

The festival will open on Thursday, October 24, at 6 PM, with the screening of the 2023 film “Creature,” the big winner at this year’s Gaudí Awards, presented by the Catalan Academy of Cinema. The story follows Mila, who, after moving into a new home with her boyfriend, begins to question not only their relationship but also her desires and her body. This introspection takes her back to repressed experiences from her early childhood and adolescence.

Directed by Elena Martín, “Creature” received 15 Gaudí nominations, winning awards for Best Film, Direction, Editing, Supporting Actor and Actress, and Best Debut Performance!

Following the opening with “Creature,” the festival will continue until Sunday, October 27, offering the Belgrade audience the chance to watch seven Catalan films, showcasing different decades of Catalan cinema.

“Why Catalan cinema? Because it’s almost as old as cinema itself. The first Catalan production was made just two years after the world’s first film, thanks to Fructuós Gelabert and his work Baralla en un cafè from 1897,” explains David Pujadó, founder of the festival. He also adds that the selection of films will make the audience laugh, cry, and discover Catalan culture and way of life.

On Friday, October 25, at 6 PM, the film In a Glass Cage (1986), the directorial debut of Agustí Villaronga, starring the iconic Marisa Paredes, will be screened. At 8 PM, the horror film Anguish (1987) by the famous Bigas Luna will be shown, featuring American actress Zelda Rubinstein.

Saturday, October 26, at 6 PM, will feature To Die (or not) (2000), directed by the renowned Barcelona filmmaker Ventura Pons, who passed away earlier this year. At 8 PM, the program will continue with Train of Shadows (1997), a film in which director José Luis Guerín takes the audience on a journey along the fine line between fiction and reality.

On Sunday, October 27, at 5 PM, the documentary Bicycle, Spoon, Apple (2010) by Carles Bosch will be screened, telling the story of two years in the life of Pasqual Maragall, the former Mayor of Barcelona and President of the Generalitat of Catalonia, after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. The film will be introduced by the director himself, along with representatives from the “Pasqual Maragall” Foundation, who will engage the audience in a discussion about the lives of those affected by Alzheimer’s.

At 8 PM, the festival will close with the iconic film Dante is Not Only Severe (1967), directed by Jacinto Esteva and Joaquim Jordà, representing the Barcelona School of Film.

This year’s edition of the Catalan Film Days will also include a side program on November 28. A discussion titled Understanding Alzheimer’s: The Case of Pasqual Maragall, inspired by Carles Bosch’s film, will be held at Dorćol Platz from 11 AM to 1 PM. The event will bring together experts from the Serbian Alzheimer Society (SUAB) and the “Pasqual Maragall” Foundation. Simultaneous translation will be provided, and entry is free.

On the same day, Carles Bosch will hold a masterclass at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, where he will share his experiences in documentary filmmaking, discuss working with ordinary people, and elaborate on his directorial approaches and techniques.

The Catalan Film Days are organized under the auspices of the Delegation of the Government of Catalonia in Southeast Europe, in cooperation with the Catalan Film Archive, and with the support of the Embassy of Spain in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

After Belgrade, the festival will travel to Sarajevo, where the audience will enjoy Catalan films from October 31 to November 6.