Aug 13, 2025
BiBiCi Story (1969), dir. Carles Durán
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BiBiCi Story (1969), dir. Carles Durán
Hello, I read your reply about the eighth Catalan last names movie. I'm not European and thanks to your blog I'm taking an interest in Catalonian culture. What's a good Catalan film you would recommend to learn about your culture? I'd appreciate if it's comedy or comedy adjacent, it's my favorite genre. Thank you
Hi!
What language do you need it to be in? Would the movie have to have English subtitles? I don't think any of our comedy movies have been subtitled to English. If there is any, I would assume it would be Barcelona, nit d'estiu (romantic comedy) but I just checked it on Netflix and it seems to only have subtitles in Spanish (at least on Netflix Spain).
If you're interested in drama, I'm quite sure Pa negre (Black Bread), Salvador Puig Antich, Incerta glòria (Uncertain Glory), and Herois (Heroes) have been translated to English, and maybe Fènix 11*23, too.
And also Alcarràs and Estiu 1993 (Summer 1993) I know for a fact they have been translated to English, but if you like comedy more I don't think I would recommend these two.
A while ago I answered an ask about Catalan cinema recommendations, you can find it here:
Sorry if you've been asked this before, but I couldn't find any posts about it. What are Catalan movies you'd recommend? Not matter if there
And you can find some links that might interest you to watch the movies here:
Are there any *totally legal* sites you use watch movies (whether it be Catalan or not)? I'm really trying to watch some of the movies you r
I hope you enjoy!
She told me once: “When we read a story, we inhabit it; the covers of the books are like a roof and four walls: a house.” She, more than anything else in the world, loved the moment when you’ve finished a book and the story keeps playing like the most vivid dream in your head.
The Bookshop (2017), dir. Isabel Coixet
BiBiCi Story (1969), dir. Carles Durán
BiBiCi Story (1969), dir. Carles Durán
Sorry if you've been asked this before, but I couldn't find any posts about it. What are Catalan movies you'd recommend? Not matter if there is a translation or not
Salvador (Puig Antich) (2006), dir. Manuel Huerga. (In Catalan and Spanish). A real story about the events that led to the execution of Salvador Puig Antich, a young Catalan anarchist who was the last political prisoner sentenced to death by the Francoist dictatorship, in 1974. (Available on Filmin).
Herois [Heroes] (2010), dir. Pau Freixas. The protagonist remembers the best summer of his childhood, with a plot that runs parallel to her present. A beautiful and nostalgic film about friendship, adventure, first love, and memories that can move you to affect the present. (Available on Prime Video and Filmin).
Pa negre [Black Bread] (2010), dir. Agustí Villaronga. Cinema adaptation of best-selling books by Emili Teixidor, it starts with a murder. From there, it's a dark drama and mystery story that focuses on the relations between family members in a village in 1940, the post-war period, through the eyes of a child. (Available on Filmin).
Fènix 11·23 (2012), dir. Joel Joan. This drama movie tells the real story of Èric Bertran, a 14-year-old Catalan boy who was arrested for terrorism for having sent an email in 2004. (Available on Filmin, can be rented on AppleTV).
Barcelona, nit d'estiu [Barcelona, summer night] (2013), dir. Dani de la Orden. Romantic comedy of six love stories that meet on a summer night. It was very successful and has a sequel called Barcelona, nit d'hivern [Barcelona, winter night] (2015). (Available for free on RTVE Play).
El mètode Grönholm [The Grönholm Method] (2015). TV movie adaptation of a comedy theatre play, a group of aspirants meet for a job interview but are asked to do very unconventional things. As time goes on, they see that maybe there were more secrets between the characters than there seemed. It's funny and unexpected. (Available for free on TV3 a la carta).
Incerta Glòria [Uncertain Glory] (2017), dir. Agustí Villaronga. Cinema adaptation of the best-seller book by Joan Sales, it's the story of three friends who fought against Franco in the Spanish Civil War and who are in love with the same woman. (Available on Netflix).
Estiu 1993 [Summer 1993] (2017), dir. Carla Simón. A 6-year-old girl has to move in with her aunt, uncle and cousin after her parents die. Even though she is welcomed and treated well, she has difficulty adapting to her new life. This is an artistic film that was even selected for the Oscars, but be aware that it's one of the most "European artsy cinema"-style ones here. (Available for free under the Spanish name "Verano 1993" on RTVE Play).
Jean-François i el sentit de la vida [Jean-François and the Meaning of Life] (2018), dir. Sergi Portabella. A lonely 13-year-old boy finds a copy of The Myth of Sisyphus by the French philosopher Albert Camus and decides to run away to Paris to meet him, not knowing he's dead. On the way, he meets a girl who will accept to run away with him but has her own motives. (Available on Filmin and for free on RTVE Play).
El nom [The Name] (2018), dir. Joel Joan. Movie adaptation of a comedy theatre play, five friends meet for dinner and talk about two of them who will soon have a child. The witty chatter becomes a fight when the father-to-be says the child will be called "Adolf, like that man with the moustache". (Available for free on TV3 a la carta).
La vampira de Barcelona [The Barcelona Vampiress] (2020), dir. Lluís Danés. A dark story once again based on a real one. In the early 20th-century Barcelona, the investigation on a mentally-unstable woman accused of kidnapping children to sell them or harvest their organs will take a journalist through the poorest streets, brothels and secrets of the Raval quarter. (TW for child abuse & sexual assault. Not a happy film but it's worth watching). (Available on Movistar+).
Alcarràs (2022), dir. Carla Simón. Filmed not with professional actors but with the real inhabitants of Alcarràs whose story is being told, this film shows the story of a family of farmers. After generations of working the same fields, they are told they must leave because the land will be confiscated to install solar panels. A realistic rural drama about the loss of agriculture, based on the real experiences of rural people in Western Catalonia. This film has received many international awards and won the Berlinale Film Festival, but once again be aware it's probably the most "European artistic cinema" film of this list. (Can be rented on many services).
I've added what streaming platform they're in for an international audience (though sometimes it changes country to country), but if you have a library card from Catalonia they're available for free on the digital platform ebibliocat.efilm.info.
Free (1966), dir. Antoni Padrós
Ice cream (1970), dir. Antoni Padrós