Marcel Barrena’s “Mediterráneo – The Law of the Sea” won the “FS Audience Award” at the International Rome Film Fest, with the public using the festival’s official app or web-site to vote.
The film shows how two Barcelona life-guards created the NGO “Open Arms”.
“September 2015. The whole world was shocked by the photograph of a Kurdish child whose body had been washed-up on a Turkish beach. Shaken by this image, two Spanish lifeguards, Óscar Camps and Gerard Canals, went to Lesbos to see the migrants and refugee camps for themselves. People ready to risk their lives in the waters of the Mediterranean in the hope of a better life. Óscar, Gérard but also Esther and Nico, were determined to help them.”
“A film to raise awareness of a situation just two hours flying time from my home”
Marcel Barrena describes the film’s genesis: “For four years we worked on Lesbos, trying to understand the situation at first-hand and develop our project, being constantly confronted with unimaginable images. We filmed in the offices of the Open Arms rescuers. We rebuilt the Moria refugee camp and hired hundreds of refugees as extras. Neither the film nor I have the answers to stop what is happening in the Mediterranean, but we can act as a loudspeaker so that no one forgets what is happening on our shores.”
Marcel Barrena, filmmaker and producer
Born in Barcelona, Marcel Barrena began as a director with “Four Seasons”(2010), winning the Critics’ Award, Jury Prize and Best Director Award at the Alicante Film Festival. His 2012 documentary “Little World” won the Gaudí Award and the DOC U! Award at the Amsterdam Documentary Film Festival and Best Documentary at the Boulder Film Festival. “100 Metres” (2016) won two more Gaudí Awards for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress.
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Sources : cineuropa.org, catalanfilms.cat, allocine.fr, romacinemafest.it, lavanguardia.com
