Director, producer and writer Carol Polakoff started her career as a photojournalist in Jerusalem. Her 1986 production CUBA: In the Shadow of Doubt received multiple Emmy nominations. She has since produced many more feature films, including Israeli The Death of My Father and Cinema, Too (Dani Rosenberg) which was in the Official Competition of Cannes in 2020.

Her latest movie Speak Sunlight (she’s now firmly on the director’s seat) is based on the eponymous novel by American author Alan Jolis, and it premiered earlier this year at the La Femme Film Festival. It tells the story of a teenager leaving Paris for Francoist Spain, throwing in contemporary references such as Ernest Hemingway and the Beatles for extra flavour.

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Eoghan Lyng – Please tell us about the genesis of Speak Sunlight!

Carol Polakoff – The genesis was quite by chance and life-changing. I was asked to go to a bookstore in Paris (where I was living for many years) and reluctantly went, not expecting anything, and in the first five minutes of the reading I began to tear up. I hadn’t gotten emotional like this before or since. I met the author [Alan Jolis] and I optioned the book, and we became very close friends.

EL – What were the challenges of code-switching from English to Spanish and back to French during production?

CP – Challenges indeed. It was mainly me that had the challenges, in that the cast all spoke Spanish and only Matteo (Alanito) was bilingual. The French was minimal, and I am fluent in French so I helped Carmen with that easily. More importantly, it is hard to find the right translator. Someone who channels you as a director and is able to deliver the deeper emotional directions. Luckily I had established a real trust with the cast in rehearsal, but nevertheless when shooting the English scene, what a pleasure!!!

EL – One of the most emotive quotes from the film is “the world is how it is, not how we would like it to be.” Do you think audiences will relate to that line differently in 2024 to 2020, given recent developments?

CP – I would like to think that when something hits deep, it is timeless. Of course the context of what is happening when writing, shooting and releasing the film ramps up the meaning and consequences in people’s lives as they enter and leave the theatre. I think we all struggle with this theme, and sometimes it is because the political scene is blowing up, or a very personal challenge, or both collide in some cases.

EL – Maruja is something of a surrogate mother for the lead boy; do teenagers gravitate to role models outside of their family unit?

CP – My experience with kids of any age, is that when they are loved and especially when you spend real time with them, they bond quickly, and in this case the parents were disengaged so Alanito was open and in need of the attention and wisdom of Maruja and Manolo.

EL – A portrait of Ernest Hemingway appears in the film, which is fitting considering how much he wrote about Spain. Did he influence the way you composed and structured the script?

CP – I read Hemingway as I was writing, especially on my research trips to Pamplona. He is the ultimate “American in Spain”. You can’t speak in English in Pamplona without people asking about him or old codgers telling you stories!

EL – During the film, viewers get to hear about the arrival of The Beatles in Spain. Did they help influence a generation of Spaniards to enjoy their life under a cruel dictatorship?

CP – Good question. This is one of those contradictions that happened during the fascist regime. People went “crazy” for the Beatles but were not used to being able to express themselves freely. We watched all the news clips and have an announcer talking about it on the radio in the film, and it is very telling that they talk about their dress, and hair and not the crowds going mad.

EL – In one powerful take, the screen exposes a bus on a bridge, before slowly drifting to showcase the breadth of the scenery. How did you pull off this shot: helicopter, or dolly?

CP – In that shot we shot it with a drone, and had to have the bus back up on that small bridge for every take. And our set was within inches of the right frame, so it had to be very precise.

EL – Karra Elejalde appears as Manolo, a man wracked with guilt. Did you discuss with Elejalde how the pair of you would convey these emotions?

CP – Yes, we had long talks about finding the things that are the most shameful and hidden in his life and using those experiences to gain emotional access to Manolo’s character. Actors are for the most part used to digging deep, but it is always about their willingness to open up to a director, and their audience.

EL – Is this Matteo Artunedo’s big screen debut, and how did he adjust from stage to film set?

CP – Matteo was incredibly motivated and game for this. He had never been to a film set, so we had a lot of explaining to do, but he adapted quickly. Things like explaining that in a close up his face would fill the screen, thus his acting needed to adapt and be more subtle, and nuanced in his facial expressions and projection.

EL – “Life and women, so complicated” is another quip from the movie. Did you find it harder constructing male characters, or females?

CP – Wow, interesting question. It depends on the character arc in the story, whose point-of-view are we following, who resolves what issue and whether it has to do with their femaleness or maleness. Of course, when writing I had to get into the male and female consciousness of the characters and the male/female aspects which reside in all of us. But… I wouldn’t say harder, though of course writing the male characters takes a bit more invention.

EL – Do you think your film will give people a better overview of a time in Spanish history?

CP – I certainly hope so. We see it through Alanito’s eyes, thus not a fully formed person. It’s a big, wild summer for him and making sense of a dictatorship and rigid social rules is very foreign to him, and both Maruja and Manolo hide many of their feelings (out of shame and guilt) but also wanting Alanito to have a “great” experience. What I hope the film conveys is that the time allowed much less introspection, both externally and internally which is mirrored in how Manolo and Maruja hid their feelings. Everyone needs to make peace with their past, but they in Spain were not encouraged to express feelings, or dissent for that matter.

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Carol Polakoff is pictured at the top of this interview. The other image is a still of Speak Sunlight.