– Inicia Films and Scope Pictures steer the new film from the director of the Oscar-shortlisted short The Masterpiece, which explores immigration, terrorism and social upheaval
Mourad Ouani, Younes Tisghiti and Walid Zaghdoud in The Fissure
The Fissure is the title of the new film by Àlex Lora, who made his feature-length debut with Unicorns [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] and whose short film The Masterpiece won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and was subsequently shortlisted for an Oscar. Shot last autumn in Barcelona, the film is now in post-production and is expected to be a major presence on the film festival circuit in 2026.
The cast includes Anna Alarcón (seen in films such as Join Me for Breakfast [+see also:
film review
interview: Iván Morales
film profile] and Mamífera [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Liliana Torres
film profile], and in series including Yakarta [+see also:
series review
series profile] and Puberty – Secrets, Lies, and Human Castles), Mourad Ouani (La Unidad [+see also:
trailer
series profile], See You in Another Life [+see also:
trailer
interview: Jorge and Alberto Sánchez-C…
series profile]) and newcomers to the screen Younes Tisghiti, Walid Zaghdoud and Maia Vila, plus a special appearance by Alex Brendemühl (Goya nominee for Creatura [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Elena Martín Gimeno
film profile] and winner of the Best Actor Award at Karlovy Vary last year for When a River Becomes the Sea [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pere Vilà Barceló
film profile]).
Through the life journey of its protagonist, the young Pol Khaled, the film examines three moments and circumstances that converged into a perfect storm of conflicting identities, interests and complexities. On one side lies one of the darkest episodes in recent Catalan history: the terrorist attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils on 17 August 2017. On another, the complex reality of migration — the arrival of newcomers and their integration, assimilation or alienation within local communities. And finally, the social tension that emerged during the Catalan pro‑independence process and the subsequent handling of the referendum held in October of that same year.
In the words of Àlex Lora, “the summer of 2017, a sad convergence of factors erupted, both literally and figuratively, creating a shockwave whose effects are still felt today. For me, in what we might call the moment before the impact, when, everything still seemed normal, I had returned to the small town of Ripoll to spend July and August with my family. My joy was twofold: not only was I home, but my parents were finally going to meet their grandson —my first child— who was only two months old. And so, unfortunately, I had the privilege of witnessing the moments before and after the attacks.”
“I knew some of the boys who were part of the terrorist group that carried out the attacks that fateful August,” the filmmaker adds. “Others were friends of friends, acquaintances of friends, friends of acquaintances. I have had long conversations about what happened with Hamid Hichamy, cousin of Younes Abouyaaqoub, the terrorist who murdered 16 people on Las Ramblas in Barcelona, and Mohamed Hichamy, the leader who led the rest of the group to Cambrils, where they killed one more person.”
The Fissure is produced by Valérie Delpierre for the Spanish company Inicia Films, and Geneviève Lemal for the Belgian company Scope Pictures, with participation from 3Cat, and support from the ICEC and Europa Creativa MEDIA and funding from the ICAA.
(Translated from Spanish)
