What are the images of cinema that are fixed in our minds, imprinted on our retinas, buried in our hearts and that we hold dear? Undoubtedly those that created and stimulated pure emotion in us.

And this sunny image of a little girl with mischievous eyes and a modest smile, who seems to be confidently heading towards her future while looking at us, the spectators, with a knowing glance, is one that cannot be forgotten.

That child is Frida, the heroine of Carla Simón's Summer 93, a film that speaks directly to our hearts, which won the Best First Film award at the Berlin Film Festival in 2017. She won the Golden Bear with her second film, the aptly named Alcarràs en 2022.

The filmmaker, who draws on her family history rooted in the Catalan countryside for the material of her two sensitive and moving feature films, is emerging as the leader of an exciting new generation of Catalan cinema.

For the 45th edition of Cinemed, we are highlighting the vitality and creativity of Catalan cinema, which has been enjoying a real revival to international acclaim over recent years. This new female wave in Catalan cinema is embodied by talented directors, producers, scriptwriters and editors who will be showcased at Cinemed Montpellier, a place of emotion, a place of discovery, together.