Carla Simón’s third film, ‘Romería’ to compete at Cannes Film Festival

The award-winning Catalan film director, Carla Simón, will compete for the Palm d’Or at this year’s edition of the Cannes Film Festival with her latest work, ‘Romería.” 

This is Simon’s third feature film, following ‘Estiu 1993’ and ‘Alcarràs’, the latter of which she won several national and international prizes, including the Golden Bear at the 2022 Berlin International Film Festival.

Filmed in the Galician city of Vigo, ‘Romeria’ explores family relationships, drawing inspiration from Simon's own paternal family.

Recovering family histories 

Marina is 18 years old and was adopted as a child. She embarks on a journey to Vigo to meet her biological father’s family for the first time.  

Guided by her mother’s diary and a bond with her cousin, Marina begins to unravel open family wounds and piece together the fragmented memory of her parents, whom she barely remembers. 

According to Simón, the film explores memory and elusive family moments that may “never be fully understood.” 

“I tried to piece together the memory of my parents through the recollections of my family and those who knew them, but I failed,” she said in a statement.  

The film aims to recover the legacy of a forgotten generation that faced heroin addiction and the emergence of HIV and AIDS.  

“It’s part of the historic memory of a Spain that deserves to be revisited,” she added. 

With this new picture, the Barcelona-born director completes her trilogy centered around her family.  

It will premiere in cinemas on September 5.

Podcast about the success of 'Alcarràs'

Have a listen to our Filling the Sink podcast on 'Alcarràs' and the life of Carla Simón.