The Festa d’Estiu del Cinema Català can be followed live for the first time

This year’s edition brings an important new feature: for the first time, the event can be followed live. The broadcast will begin at 20:30 on betevé, opening to the public a party that until now has functioned mainly as an internal meeting point for the Catalan audiovisual industry.

The programme will be hosted by journalist Clara Vera. From the parade ground of Castell de Montjuïc, Laurà Sangrà, presenter of ‘La Brama’ and ‘Un pla perfecte’, will interview some of the directors who will release films during the coming season.

The red carpet will also have its own coverage. Laura Suñol will follow the arrival of the most prominent names in Catalan cinema, on a night designed to take the pulse of the sector before the autumn film season.

The Festa d’Estiu functions as a kind of informal start to the season. Unlike the Premis Gaudí, marked by competition, nerves and gala speeches, this event has a more relaxed tone, with meetings, conversations and first previews of what will reach cinemas and festivals.

One of the evening’s attractions will be precisely this preview of films that can be seen in the coming months. Producers, directors and creative teams use the event to show part of the path Catalan audiovisual production will take in autumn and winter.

The Premi Pepón Coromina will also be awarded, one of the evening’s most notable moments. The prize recognises talent, creativity and emerging perspectives within the sector, with special attention to proposals capable of opening new paths in Catalan cinema.

The choice of Castell de Montjuïc reinforces the special character of the gathering. The parade ground offers an open setting, with views and symbolic weight that turn the party into more than a professional meeting. It is a way of taking cinema out of theatres and bringing it to one of Barcelona’s great cultural viewpoints.

For the public, the broadcast changes the scale of the event. Those who normally saw only red-carpet photos or short summaries will be able to follow live interviews, arrivals and key moments of the night, coming closer to an industry that often remains outside the everyday spotlight.

The event also comes in the middle of Barcelona’s cultural summer, when Montjuïc concentrates much of the city’s outdoor activity. Cinema, music, festivals and major events coexist on a mountain that once again functions as a shared stage.

Festa d’Estiu does not have the solemnity of an awards ceremony, but it has something equally important for the sector: it allows people to look ahead. Which films are in preparation, whose names are beginning to be heard, which new voices are appearing and how Catalan cinema presents itself for the coming season.

This Thursday, Castell de Montjuïc will be both showcase and meeting point. And, for the first time, also an open window for those who want to follow from home a night that until now was almost always experienced from within.