16/11/2005

Catalan Benecé produccions – which is behind documentaries such as Patricio Guzmán's El Caso Pinochet and Isaki Lacuesta's Cravan Vs Cravan - has co-produced its first fiction film. Fruit of the audiovisual meetings organised within the framework of the Al*Invest programme from the European Commission, Diego Yaker's Like Butterflies in the Light (o.t. Como Mariposas en la luz) is an Hispano-Argentinean co-production which offers a tough view of immigration in Cataluña. In the past Argentina hosted Europeans, it is now time for Europe to receive a young generation of people unable to dream in their parents' country, in search of a future in their grand-parents mother land.

Starring Lucas Ferrano and Cristina Brondo (L'Auberge Espagnol), the film attracted Benecé's attention from the very beginning. The Barcelona based company not only co-produced it but also handles international sales. "We are interested in co-productions that come up "naturally" and that can benefit from Catalan funds. In this case, we didn't have to add anything to the story. It was just ideal for shooting there. We got the support of Tv from Catalonia and the Institut Català de les Indústries Culturals, in Spain, and in Argentina the film was financed by the INCAA's Roots programme", Nuria Botellé told us.

Recently awarded the Audience Prize in the Brussels FestCEAL, Like Butterflies in the Light has a documentary-orientated large introduction, portraying the oppressive reality of the fishing community from Mar del Plata. Then, the camera follows Diego as far as Barcelona, where he gets involved in a series of crimes which, ironically, will allow his father to make his dream come true. The director refuses the idea that his film is "pessimist but charming", just like his characters. "Above all, it is a realistic film and I wanted to underline a moral dilemma. Illegal money can create something positive, but it right or wrong?". Without searching for black or white answers, Yaker built a tale where hope fights against frustration, where the desire to succeed mingles with the toughness of the quest. "I am not judging the immigrants, but I do think one should one who he is, what he is searching and where he wants to go. Butterflies fly towards the light, unaware they can get burn. I think that image summarises the idea of the film", concludes de director.