Last year, DMovies began its relationship with REC Tarragona International Film Festival, when for the first time we attended the Festival in loco. We came across a vibrant Catalonian seaside town with impressively preserved Roman ruins (basically, an enormous open-air Unesco World Heritage site), a scrumptious film selection and – as you would expect – abundant local food of the highest standards.

According to the Festival founder and director Javier Garcia Puerto, Tarragona also boasts a notable cinema heritage: ” we have been a privileged location for filming, with classic moments such as L’Espoir [André Malraux and Boris Peskine, 1937] or La Gran Familia [Fernando Palacios, 1962], and especially in recent years, being the location that hosts the most filming in Catalonia (after Barcelona). In this regard, we must remember the words of the great Bigas Luna (a resident of the region, who made The Tit and the Moon here, in 1994) who said that Tarragona should be ‘the California of Spain’ “.

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Nearly a quarter of a century

Still according to Javier, REC started in 2001 as “a small adventure between a group of students passionate about cinema and culture, and continued as an event focused on the multidisciplinary nature of audiovisual arts, consolidating itself as an essential event in the spring of the city and in Catalonia.” He also confesses that running an independent film event isn’t always a walk in the park: “On the verge of disappearing in 2012, REC was reborn in another season focusing on new talent, and being the reference for a whole generation of new directors. In recent years, some of the most recognisable names of the new generation have passed through its screens and its lab. Its inclusion in a heritage city and its openness to young talent make it a space for discovery from proximity and enjoyment”.

This year, the event holds its 24 edition, with a combination os screenings, industry events, networking opportunities and parties. While most of the audiences are local, the Festival attracts industry professionals from all over Europe and indeed the world.

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Focus on nascent talent

Taking place for five very busy days – from December 4th to December 8th – REC Tarragona showcases approximately 30 films divided into six sections: Opera Prima, Intimitats Compartides, Vermut, Especials, Pantalla Tarraco and Talent Local. The main section Opera Prima consists of 10 films, and it’s competitive: multiple prizes are handed out every year by an international jury.

Javier explains that this competition has been around for nearly two decades, and with a very special focus: “REC launched its Opera Prima competition in 2006, which became international in 2009. Since then, we have been offering an overview of the best debuts of the year, from all styles and geographies, showing the public the path that new cinema is taking, and focusing on directors who we believe have potential. From today’s films, we talk about the cinema of the future”.

You can check our coverage of the event so far this year by clicking here.

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A movie incubator

Parallel to the film bonanza, there is no shortage of industry activities. They happen primarily under the RECLab umbrella, which is now on its 11th edition. Seven to 10 works-in-progress from various corners of the planet are presented to a panel of international experts, in First Test. Other sections include RecMatch, RecPush, RecVision and much more, aimed at filmmakers and international co-producers alike. You can see the full list by clicking here.

There are abundant success stories. Javier notes: “Beyond the films that have been screened at our festival and then won the Gaudí, Goya and even Oscar awards, the work done in the RECLab has gained importance in recent years. Where, for example, Summer 1993 [Carla Simon, 2018] found its sales agent, or 20,000 Species of Bees [Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren, 2023], managed to close its finale and fine-tune a film that would triumph in Berlin”.

So why not join the action at REC Tarragona? Just click here in order to find out more.

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The images on this article are property of REC Tarragona.