'La terra negra' explores new beginnings and redemption in rural drama
The new feature film by Alberto Morais, presented at the Festival de Málaga, deals with the relationship between two people expelled from the system.
On Monday 17th, the Festival de Málaga hosted the screening of 'La terra negra', the latest film by director Alberto Morais. With a cast headed by Laia Marull, Sergi López and Andrés Gertúdix, the film has taken the audience to a rural setting marked by uprooting and tensions.
In 'La terra negra', María returns to the village she left years ago to work in her family's industrial mill with her brother Ángel. Miquel also arrives in the village, a man who, after having been in prison, arouses both admiration and fear in the community.
After the screening, the audience was able to attend a colloquium with the participation of Alberto Morais, director; Laia Marull, actress; Sergi López and Andrés Gertrúdix, actors; César Martinez and Frank Soprano, producers.
About the director, Andrés Gertrúdix has assured that: "Alberto is looking for a very particular tempo, we all had to be in the same score for everything to work and for the atmosphere he wanted. Alberto is very clear about what he wants and when you understand that, it's very easy."
Sergi López has confirmed Alberto's good work: "He has a real stamp, a cinematic universe, a point of view... and sometimes he can be very fussy about the details, but little by little you get into a kind of mystical energy." For Laia Marull, as performers "you have to take off and strip away everything to leave the essence of the character."
About the shooting, Morais said that "it's the first film I've made that reminds me of the texture of 35 millimetres, it took me three films to achieve it and that also helps because I've always been very much against recorded rehearsals. With me you rehearse and then record, but you can leave it uncut, and you always get something out of it." This is where some of the scenes that later shaped the film came from, creating unexpected moments that contributed to the atmosphere of the story.
Alberto Morais also wanted to highlight the work of Laia Marull, Sergi López and Andrés Gertrúdix: "I enjoyed this film because of the actors." The three performers had the difficult task of learning Valencian, something that was easier for Marull and López, both Catalans, but a real challenge for Gertrúdix, who was born in Madrid.
With 'La terra negra', Morais has made his fifth feature film, consolidating a career that has been screened at international festivals such as Cannes, Toronto and Moscow.
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