IBAIA
Catherine Ulmer – Workshop Tutor and Pitching Moderator
After studying Philosophy and an incursion into journalism, Catherine Ulmer López began making documentaries in 2003. Her first film, Despoblado, dealt with the theme of mass graves under Franco’s regime for Canal Sur. Her second film, ¡Compañeros!, about the international brigades, won a prize at the CMCA festival. In 2006, she became interested in young priests preparing for a career in the Church in Rome and made a film for ARTE ZDF and TVE. Then, in 2008, she followed the life of Mukhtar Mai, a victim of gang rape who fought against Pakistan’s repressive system by setting up schools for young girls. Presented at IDFA, After the Rape is distributed by Women Make Movies. In 2013, she co-directed the feature documentary Érase una vez las 1001 noches for ARTE. As an author she has participated, always for ARTE, in the documentary Mezquitas: Arte y Espacio.
She regularly collaborates with the documentary series France 5 A House, an Artist / a Legend for which she has made films about Cézanne, Toulouse-Lautrec, Federico García Lorca, Gaudí, André Breton, Joan Mirò, Dora Maar and Joan of Arc, Charles Darwin, etc.
In 2020, she directed the only documentary about Bryan Ferry, Bryan Ferry: Don’t Stop the Music, for ARTE and RTBF. And a 52′ film on the Château de Chantilly for France 5.
In 2022, she made a feature-length documentary to be premièred at cinemas Fucking Rabbit! which followed the workshops of student actors and young patients in a psychiatric day hospital for a year and a half. In 2023, she made a 60′ portrait of Pedro Almodóvar for France 5.
She has just finished writing a 3x 52′ series for ARTE on human migrations from the Rhine Valley between the Thirty Years’ War and the beginning of the 20th century. And she is currently developing a documentary about high-risk communities in East Harlem and a feature film for cinema.
Ventura Durall i Soler – Tutor of the Pitch Preparation Workshop
Screenwriter, director and producer of documentaries, fiction and audiovisual works for museums. A graduate of the ESCAC (Escuela Superior de Cine y Audiovisuales de Cataluña) [Higher School of Cinema and Audiovisual Art of Catalonia], specialising in scripts. In 2001, he founded the producer Nanouk Films, of which he is currently the director.
Among his major works, the following stand out:
2022 Sis nits d’agost (95 min. NANOUK FILMS, TVC). TV MOVIE. Gaudí Prize – Best Film for Television. Screenwriter and director.
2020 La nova escola (85 min. Nanouk Films, TVC). DocsBarcelona, Atlàntida Film Fest. Screenwriter and director.
2020 L’ofrena (111 min. Nanouk films, Suica Films, Fasten Films, Bord Cadre Films, Televisió de Catalunya, À punt). Festival de Màlaga, D’A, Seminci. Screenwriter, producer and director.
2018 Primer estrat (36 min. Nanouk Films). Festival de Màlaga
2016 Alcaldessa (88 min, NANOUK FILMS). Gaudí Prize – Best Documentary. Festival de Màlaga. Best direction. Screenwriter and producer.
2015 Dead Slow Ahead (75 min, Nanouk Films, El Viaje Films, TVC)- Festival de Locarno: Special Jury Award. Feroz Award. Producer
2014 El cas dels catalans (75 min, HD, TVC). Screenwriter and director.
2014 Bugarach (90 min, Nanouk Films, Filmtank, WDR, TVE, TVC) -Visions du Réel, Hotdocs, DOCUMENTAMADRID, DOCSBARCELONA, Official Competition. IDFA, Best of FESTS. FIPRESCI Prize at MESSAGE TO MEN FILM FESTIVAL (SAINT PETERSBURG). Screenwriter, director and producer.
2013 Los años salvajes(70 min, HD, Nanouk Films, Televisió de Catalunya) -IDFA Competition for Feature Length Documentary: Munich Film Festival, Magnolia Award (Xangai), Best Photography. International Film and Human Rights Festival of Valencia, Best Film. Screenwriter, director and producer.
2012 Audiovisuals for the Spanish pavilion at the Yeosu International Expo 2012 (South Korea). Screenwriter, director and producer.
2011 La sonrisa escondida (13 min, HD, Nanouk Films) – Sundance Film Festival – Abu Dhabi Film Festival, Black Pearl Award -SHNIT International Short Film Festival Berne & Cologne (Switzerland), Best Short Film – Wimbledon SHORTS 2011 (UK ), Best Short Movie – Paris Courts Devant (France) Special Jury Award -10th Euganea Film Festival (Italy) Best International Short Film -Madrid Imatge (Spain) Best Short Film / Special Jury Award for Best Cinematography -Corti a Ponte (Italy) Best Short Film. Screenwriter, director and producer.
2009 El perdón (52 min., HD, Nanouk Films), Documentary which won the Best Documentary award at the Belgrade International Documentary Festival, audience award at the Mon-Doc International Documentary Festival, and different awards at the main international television festivals. It has also been shown at the most prestigious documentary festivals, such as IDFA, DOKLEIPZIG, Thessaloniki and DOCSDF. Screenwriter, director and producer.
2008 Las dos vidas de Andrés Rabadán (84 min., 35mm, Nanouk Films), Fiction feature film which has won, among other awards, Best European Independent Film 2009 at the ECU Festival in Paris, the Grand Jury Prize at the Annecy Spanish Cinema Biennial in 2010, three Catalan Academy Gaudí Prizes in 2010 (Best Actor, Suporting Actor and Supporting Actress), Best Catalan Feature Film of 2009 at the Som Cinema 2009 and the audience award at the Annonay International First Film Festival. Screenwriter, director and producer.
He has also made documentaries such as Illa negra, illa blanca (2005, documentary 52 min., Nanouk Films, TVN, TV3, Fundació Neruda i COAIB) and La dama dels coloms (2002, 13 min. UAB Creative Documentary Prize, FAD Prize).
