Cinema for me is…
Gerard in 23 frames
1. Describe yourself in ten words.
Young film enthusiast, finding my path in this world.
2. Your best quality? Your worst habit?
Best quality: Must be empathy.
Worst habit: Paying too many streaming services that I do not use.
3. Your dream job?
I feel like I am still finding my career path, but maybe director of my own projects or being part of the cinema industry somehow.
4. What do you like most about your country?
The food. It is something that I do not value enough when I am here, and I miss it a lot when I am somewhere else.
5. Your favorite dish in your country?
With no doubts “pa amb tomàquet”, which is bread with spread tomato and olive oil, simple and basic, but that is why everyone likes it!
6. Which word or phrase in your native language do you like the most and what does it mean?
I like “a poc a poc i bona lletra” which means “slowly and with good calligraphy”. It is a Catalan idiom that refers to doing your actions calmly and wisely, not in a rush. It reminds you to think twice and to take your time to get the best out of yourself.
7. What European capital have you visited lately?
It has been a long time since I travelled around Europe, but I have been to Paris three times throughout my life and Ioved it.
8. Other than your own, which European country would you love to live in?
I have never been to Italy, but I feel like it could be a place where I could live, I want the Mediterranean Sea close to where I stay. And I also love pasta and pizza.
9. What does Europe mean to you? 3 values.
For me, Europe means community, opportunities, and future.
10. What film made you fall in love with cinema?
The Shining by Stanley Kubrick (1980, US). I had no contact with cinema in any special way until I saw this film when I was 14. I kind of discovered that cinema went beyond the blockbusters my local cinema was screening.
11. Your favorite film theatre? What do you like about it?
La Filmoteca de Catalunya (The Catalan Cinematheque). It is a place where I spent a lot of time when I arrived in Barcelona from my little town, where I had no opportunities to see old films in any way. I think the whole team behind the cinematheque makes an amazing job of preserving and sharing the art of cinema.
12. Who is your movie hero?
I do not really have any hero, but I respect and admire Tilda Swinton. She chooses her roles wisely and has worked with some of the best directors in the world. She goes from Marvel to the latest Apichatpong Weerasethakul movie flawlessly.
13. Which movie director would you like to be?
I do not idolize anyone in particular, but I admire Pedro Almodóvar, how he has found a recognizable filmmaking style of his own and made amazing movies over the years. He has given a voice to marginalized collectives since the beginning of his career, which is exemplary.
14. Briefly describe your favorite scene.
El espíritu de la colmena (Víctor Erice, 1973, ES).
The screening of Frankenstein by James Whale is being prepared while the people of the small town of Hoyuelos are bringing their own chairs to the town hall. When the film starts and the presenter breaks the fourth wall, the hustle and mumble stop. Erice captures the faces of fascination and amusement, eyes wide open everywhere. The film is rolling, so it is The spirit of the beehive itself, and the main protagonists, Ana and Isabela, are inevitably faced with the curious and incomprehensible concept of death for the first time.
15. What are the 3 best European films you have seen in the last year?
My Mexican Bretzel (Nuria Giménez Lorang, 2019, ES)
El año del descubrimiento (Luis López Carrasco, 2020, ES)
Colectiv (Alexander Nanau, 2019, RO)
16. Which film character do you most identify with?
At this moment, maybe Frances from Noah Baumbach’s Frances Ha (2012, US). I am not a 27-year-old woman, but with all its differences, I identify with her situation of uncertainty about the future, about being a bit lost. I just finished my degree in Audiovisual Communication and it is a moment of change in my life.
17. Your favorite soundtrack or song?
The La La Land (Damien Chazelle, 2016, US) soundtrack. I know, very mainstream, but all the songs are hits. It is really hard for me to like all the songs in a musical and this one achieves it. I also really enjoy the selection of songs David Lynch made for Twink Peaks: The Return (2017, US).
18. If you had to live in a movie, which one would you like it to be?
I see downsides in all films because they all have sad or difficult parts, but maybe a drama like Les parapluies de Cherbourg (Jacques Demy, 1964, FR), where I could live an intense and tragic love story while singing.
19. Your life becomes a bio-pic. Who plays the role of you?
I have no idea, maybe Tom Holland. I have nothing in common with him but let’s take advantage of biopics not being 100% faithful to reality and choose someone good-looking.
20. Which talent would you most like to have?
I would love to sing, but not in this lifetime, no singing class could fix it.
21. What is your most treasured possession?
A cinema poster of La La Land, not because of the film or the poster itself, but because it was a gift from my friends when I turned 18.
22. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Having a film in pre-production with my friends must be one of my greatest achievements, but also being selected as part of the 27 Times Cinema jury is unbelievable.
23. What is your motto?
Get out of your comfort zone.