Carla Simón

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Simón and the second or maternal family name is Pipó.
Carla Simón
Simón at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival
Born
Carla Simón Pipó

(1986-12-29) 29 December 1986
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Occupations
  • Director
  • screenwriter
Years active2009–present

Carla Simón Pipó (born 22 December 1986) is a Spanish film director. Most known for her films Summer 1993 (2017) and Alcarràs (2022), for the latter she received the Golden Bear at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival.[1]

Biography

Simón was born 22 December 1986 in Barcelona[2] and spent her youth in the Catalan village of Les Planes d'Hostoles.[3] By the age of six, her parents died of AIDS so she had to live with her uncle and his family in Garrotxa in northern Catalonia. In 2009, Simón graduated from studying film science at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Her father was Galician.[4] In 2010, she studied television work at Televisió de Catalunya and later at the London Film School. During her time in London she directed the documentary film Born Positive and the short film Lipstick.[5]

Her feature first film, Summer 1993 (2017), follows her own youth experience.[6][7] The plot revolves around a young girl and her reaction to and ways of handling her parents' sudden death.[6][8] Filming took place over six weeks in rural Garrotxa, where Simón grew up.[9] The film had its world premiere at the Generation section of the 67th Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the award for Debut Film at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival.[10] It also won thirty awards in numerous festivals and ceremonies, amongst them the Golden Biznaga for Best Film at the Málaga Film Festival,[11] and the Goya Award for Best New Director.[12] It was also chosen as Spain's submission for Best Foreign Film at the 90th Academy Awards,[13] the second Catalan-language film to be submitted to the Academy Awards by the Spanish Film Academy.[14]

Simón's sophomore feature, Alcarràs (2022), won the Golden Bear at the 72nd Berlinale, becoming the first Catalan-language film to do so.[1] The film follows the disappearance of family-based agricultural activities, in the traditional peach-harvesting fields of Catalonia. The film was also selected as the Spanish entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards,[15] but it was not nominated.

In 2025, Simón third film Romería was selected for the main competition of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Palme d'Or, marking her first film at the festival's main competition. A semi-autobiographical film, the plot follows a young orphaned woman traveling to Vigo seeking the truth about her biological father past, an AIDS victim in the early 1990s.

Filmography

Feature films

Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes
2017 Summer 1993 Yes Yes No
2022 Alcarràs Yes Yes Yes Co-scripted with Arnau Vilaró
2025 Romería Yes Yes No [16]

Short films

Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes
2009 Women Yes Yes Yes Co-directed with Marco Businaro
Lovers Yes Yes Yes
2012 Born Positive Yes Yes No Documentary film
2013 Lipstick Yes Yes No
2014 Las pequeñas cosas Yes Yes No
2015 Llacunes Yes Yes No
2018 Después también Yes Yes No Co-scripted with Aina Clotet and Valentina Viso
2020 Correspondencia Yes Yes Yes Co-directed with Dominga Sotomayor
2022 Carta a mi madre para mi hijo [17] Yes Yes No Miu Miu Women's Tales #24

Awards and nominations

Year Award Nominated work Category Result Ref(s)
2022 Berlin International Film Festival Alcarràs Golden Bear Won [18][19]
2022 European Film Awards Best Screenwriter Nominated [20]
2023 Gaudí Awards Best Director Won [21]
Best Original Screenplay Won
2023 Feroz Awards Best Director Won [22]
Best Screenplay Nominated
2023 CEC Medals Best Director Nominated [23]
Best Original Screenplay Nominated
2023 Goya Awards Best Director Nominated [24]
Best Original Screenplay Nominated
2017 Berlin International Film Festival Summer 1993 Grand Prix of the Generation Kplus International Jury Won [25]
Best First Film Won [25]

References

  1. ^ a b Llumà, Xavi Serra, Núria Juanico (2022-02-16). "Historic triumph for Carla Simón: first Catalan Golden Bear at Berlin Film Festival". Ara in English. Archived from the original on 2022-02-17. Retrieved 2022-02-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ "Carla Simón i Pipó". Enciclopedia.cat (in Catalan). Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  3. ^ cultural, Creación. ""El cine me ha ayudado a entender el porqué de las cosas"". eldiario.es. Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  4. ^ Lang, Jamie (May 18, 2025). "Carla Simón Uncovers a Galician Family's Skeletons in the Semi-Autobiographical 'Romería'". Variety. Archived from the original on May 18, 2025. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
  5. ^ "Carla Simón | TorinoFilmLab". torinofilmlab.it. Archived from the original on 19 October 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  6. ^ a b Belinchón, Gregorio (9 September 2017). "'Verano 1993', un filme en catalán, representará a España en los Oscar". El País. Archived from the original on 22 November 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2020 – via elpais.com.
  7. ^ "Estiu 1993". Barcelona Film Commission | Catalunya Film Commission. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  8. ^ "Interview with Valérie Delpierre". EWA Women. 2017-06-28. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  9. ^ "CVC. Rinconete. Cine y televisión. Ese «otro» cine español (18). «Verano 1993», de Carla Simón, por Jara Yáñez". cvc.cervantes.es. Archived from the original on 30 June 2017. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  10. ^ "'Summer 1993' ('Estiu 1993') Review – UCL Film & TV Society". Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  11. ^ "'Estiu 1993', òpera prima de la catalana Simón, guanya la Bisnaga d'Or". El País (in Catalan). 2017-03-25. ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  12. ^ "Premios Goya 2018: Carla Simón, mejor dirección novel". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 2019-02-02. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  13. ^ "'Estiu 1993' ja mira a l'Oscar". Ara.cat. 8 September 2017. Archived from the original on 30 September 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  14. ^ "El film català «Estiu 1993» queda fora de la cursa pels Oscars | NacióDigital". naciodigital.cat. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  15. ^ Martínez, Beatriz (13 September 2022). "'Alcarràs', de Carla Simón, representará a España en los Oscar". El Periódico de Catalunya.
  16. ^ Partearroyo, Daniel de (2 August 2024). "'Romería', de Carla Simón: reparto, rodaje y todo sobre la nueva película de la directora de 'Alcarràs'". Cinemanía – via 20minutos.es.
  17. ^ Yáñez, Manu (4 September 2022). "Crítica de 'Carta de mi madre para mi hijo' desde Venecia: el 'Regreso al futuro' de Carla Simón". Fotogramas. Archived from the original on 30 July 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  18. ^ Scott Roxborough (16 February 2022). "Berlin: 'Alcarras' Wins Golden Bear for Best Film". Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  19. ^ "Competition Awards". Berlinale. Archived from the original on 5 November 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  20. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (2022-11-08). "'Close', 'Holy Spider' & 'Triangle Of Sadness' Lead European Film Awards Nominations". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 2022-11-08. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
  21. ^ "Totes les nominacions als Gaudí 2023: llista completa". El Periódico de Catalunya. 14 December 2022. Archived from the original on 22 December 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  22. ^ Gualda, Lucía (29 January 2023). "Premios Feroz, en directo: los premiados a mejor película, mejor serie y mejor actriz y actor protagonistas". Vanitatis. Archived from the original on 2023-09-07. Retrieved 2024-02-15 – via El Confidencial.
  23. ^ "78 Gala del Círculo de Escritores Cinematográficos | CEC | Círculo de Escritores Cinematográficos | Madrid | Cine" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  24. ^ "Premios Goya 2023: lista completa de ganadores". Fotogramas (in European Spanish). 2023-02-13. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  25. ^ a b "La catalana "Estiu 1993", premio a la mejor ópera prima de la Berlinale". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 2017-02-18. Retrieved 2024-03-27.

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