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Alcarràs
July 18, 2023 | 7:00 pm
photo: Lluís Tudela
The Nancy Tafeen Global Film Series
The theme of this year’s series is “Through a Female Lens”
“Throughout the world, the male-dominated field of film directing is slowly changing. Women are writing, directing and producing more films than ever before. Our series will highlight four outstanding examples of a feminine perspective being brought to cinematic storytelling.” — Dale Pollock
All films in the series feature an introduction and a post-film Q&A with curator Dale Pollock.
Alcarràs
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In Catalan with English subtitles
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Spain, Italy, not rated, directed by Carla Simón, 2022, drama, 120 minutes
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In the small village of Alcarràs in Catalonia, the peach farmers of the Solé family spend every summer together picking fruit from their orchard. But when new plans arise to install solar panels and cut down trees, the members of this tight-knit group suddenly face eviction — and the loss of far more than their home.
Winner of the Golden Bear at Berlinale, the sophomore film from Carla Simón (Summer 1993) is a sun-dappled, deeply moving ensemble portrait of the countryside and a community’s unbreakable bonds.
Director’s Note — Carla Simón
Alcarràs is a tiny village in deepest Catalonia, where my family grows peaches. When my grandfather died, my uncles inherited the land and its care. Grief for my grandfather brought me to value my family’s legacy and their dedication to farming. I learned to appreciate the trees they cultivate as something that could someday be destroyed. This is how the plot of Alcarràs came to me: a family of farmers — the Solés — are about to lose their peach trees as the owner wants to put solar panels in his fields.
Human beings have cultivated the land in family groups since the Neolithic. It’s the most ancient profession of all time. But the truth is that the story of the Solé family comes at a time when this way of agriculture is no longer sustainable. There is the real question of what agriculture means to us today. We wanted to pay a nostalgic but unsentimental tribute to the last resistant families of farmers still hanging on to their traditions.
This is also a film about family relationships, generational tensions and the importance of unity in times of crisis. It was conceived as an ensemble piece due to my desire to express what it means to be part of a huge family. Crossed dialogues, opposed energies, chaos, small but meaningful gestures, emotions that cause domino effects… Each member of the Solé family tries to find their own place just as they are about to lose their common identity.
We worked with non-professional actors from the area of Alcarràs who have a real attachment to the land. In order to present themselves as a real family, they spent so much time together that now they call each other by their characters’ names.
LOCATION: Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts, 733 Rivers St., Boone, NC 28608
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact the Box Office at theschaefercenter@appstate.edu or call 800-841-2787 or 828-262-4046.
ACCOMMODATION STATEMENT: Appalachian is committed to providing an inclusive experience for individuals with disabilities. If accommodations are needed in order to fully participate on the basis of a disability, contact the Office of Disability Resources (828.262.3056). It is recommended that accommodation requests be made two weeks prior to the event.
TICKETS:
$10
SHOWTIME:
Tuesday, July 18, 2023 | 7pm (with pre-film introduction)
Meet the Curator — Dale Pollock
Dale M. Pollock, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, received a BA in Anthropology from Brandeis University in 1972 and a MS in Communications from San Jose State University. In 1977, he became the head film critic for Daily Variety until he was hired by the Los Angeles Times to be their chief entertainment correspondent. He was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in the early 1980s and wrote Skywalking: The Life and Films of George Lucas in 1983, which has sold more than 150,000 copies and remains in print. In 1985, Pollock joined David Geffen’s company as a development executive, where he discovered the scripts for Beetlejuice, The Burbs and Universal Soldier. He joined A&M Films as vice president in charge of production, and was named president in 1990, producing such films as The Beast, The Mighty Quinn, A Midnight Clear and Mrs. Winterbourne. Pollock ran his own film company, Peak Productions, for 10 years, producing the box office hit Set It Off. He co-founded the producing program at the American Film Institute in 1995. In 1999, he became Dean of the School of Filmmaking at the (then) North Carolina School of the Arts, stepping down in 2006 to become Professor of Cinema Studies. He was awarded Emeritus status in 2019 and served as Interim Dean for nine months in 2021. Pollock was awarded an Endowed Professorship in Film in his name at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts School of Filmmaking in 2014 and is the 2016 recipient of the UNC Board of Governors Award for Teaching Excellence. He also received the 2020 Arts Council of Winston Salem’s Annual Award, its highest honor. Pollock’s first work of fiction, Chopped: A Novel, was published in March 2023, and is available on Amazon and at bookstores everywhere.
