UTA has signed Spanish director Carla Simon — whose acclaimed second film “Alcarràs” marks Spain’s entry for Best International Film at the 2023 Academy Awards — for representation across the board.
Written and directed by Simone, Alcarràs focuses on the life of a family of peach growers in a small Catalan village, inspired by her adoptive mother’s family. The film premiered at the 2022 Berlin Film Festival – where it won the prestigious Golden Bear, becoming the first Catalan-language film to receive the honour – and was shown at nearly 100 international film festivals, including the New York Film Festival.
Produced by María Zamora, Stefan Schmitz and Tono Felguera and co-produced by Giovanni Pompili, “Alcarràs” is the second in a planned trilogy of films. Simone made her directorial debut in 2017 with Summer 1993 – an autobiographical film that won Best First Film at the Berlinale and was Spain’s Best International Film at the 2018 Academy Awards – and is currently working on her third feature film, Romeria. , which focuses on the journey of a young woman trying to make family memories. Elastica Films is producing the upcoming project.
“I want to continue with my realistic approach but cut it off somewhat to explore other things. I think it’s important to say about every movie: ‘I don’t know how to do it; I have to learn how to do it,” Simon said diverse In October, predicting what will happen in her career.
Simon is also an accomplished short film writer and director, whose projects have been shown at film festivals all over the world. For example, her 2022 short film “Letter to My Mother for My Son” was shown in Venice as part of Miu Miu’s “Women’s Tales” anthology series. In 2018, Simone was awarded the Kering Women in Motion Young Talent Award at the Cannes Film Festival.
In addition to UTA, which will help Simon find new directing, writing and producing opportunities in film and television, she is still represented by director Majós Martínez.
Additional reporting by Emilio Mayorga.
