Polar Star Films’ first film production The Bathers will be screening once again at the prestigious Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival.
The film has been selected as one of the best Spanish Short Films to have participated in the festival and will form part of the “Spain in the spotlight” section; a retrospective of 20 years of Spanish short films.
The Bathers, directed by Rose Kowalski, follows a colourful group of women who find their cultural prejudices challenged during a language-class outing to the beach. Indian woman Shari seems the most introverted and out of place of the group, but in the end proves the most receptive to her surroundings and is able to unite the women. Looks, glances, actions and reactions tell the story of complex group dynamics with barely four words of dialogue.
Produced in 2004, The Bathers was shot on 16mm and was the first short film in Spain to be completed using a digital intermediate, a now-common process where a high definition scan of the negative is worked on digitally and then used to print the finished 35mm film. The film stars Minnie Marx (Els Joglars), Montserrat Alcoverro (Acacias 38, El cor de la ciutat) and first-time actress Balwinder Susen Ahluwalia amongst others. Shot on location in Altafulla and Torredembarra in Tarragona, more than 15 different nationalities made up the cast & crew.
The Bathers marked the beginning of Polar Star Films’ trajectory as an advocate of powerful, independent storytelling. The company has gone on to become an internationally recognised production house, with over 25 years’ experience specialising in feature films and creative documentary.
This year’s edition of Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival takes place from 28th of January to 5th February 2022. It is the world’s largest film festival dedicated to short films. In terms of audience and professional attendance, it is the second largest film festival in France after Cannes.