It is a project of the Catalan Film Academy in collaboration with DIPLOCAT

The Catalan Film Academy and DIPLOCAT, with the support of the AISGE Foundation, are co-organizing Catalyst for Talent for the second consecutive year. It is an initiative created with the aim of internationalizing Catalan cinema through its interpretive talent and providing Catalan actors and actresses with tools and practical advice to focus their careers at an international level.

The inauguration took place on Monday, 26 June, at La Pedrera Auditorium in Barcelona. After the welcoming words by Academy president Judith Colell and DIPLOCAT’s secretary general Laura Foraster i Lloret, a conversation on the internationalization of Catalan cinema and its growing presence at renowned festivals followed, with the participation of Elena Martín, Sandra Tapia and Maria Ripoll, and the moderation of Conxita Casanovas.

The international casting directors invited to this year's Catalyst for Talent are Mathilde Snodgrass (France), Anders Nygaard (Denmark), Luis Rosales (Mexico) and Orla O'Connor (Scotland). Courtesy of the Catalunya La Pedrera Foundation, all four had the opportunity to take a guided tour of the exhibition by sculptor Jaume Plensa that currently houses Gaudí's emblematic building.

The four international casting directors will meet with 15 Catalan actors and actresses selected on the basis of their international potential: Aina Clotet, Bruna Cusí, Antonio Escámez, Iván Morales, Maria Pau Pigem, Mireia Ros, Ricard Balada, Roger Coma, Vicky Luengo and Yolanda Sey, together with Ander Puig, Intissar el Meskine, Laia Manzanares, Malcolm McCarthy and Sonia Jerez.

The performers will hold two workshops behind closed doors with the four invited casting directors. The first on how to improve their show reel to be selected for international productions, and the other focused on the art of making contacts.

On the afternoon of June 27 there will be a conversation on "The backstage of social networks", moderated by Bibiana Ballbè, which will analyze the role of social networks in the professional career of actors and actresses. The speakers will be Marc Mayolas, Carlos Ramos, Mireia Oriol and Octavi Pujades. A second conversation, entitled "Is diversity fiction? Diversity, equality and inclusion in casting", will be attended by Mi Hoa Lee, Hajar Boujtat and Malcolm McCarthy.

These two sessions will be complemented by the session on Wednesday 28 June, "Doing good casting: a shared responsibility" by the casting directors of this year's Catalyst for Talent. The talk will be moderated by Luci Lenox.