A thoughtful and moving family portrait
When six year old Frida’s mother dies from AIDS related pneumonia, she moves from her life in Barcelona to her Uncles Catalonian farm. This new family and her landscape are alien to Frida; she’s afraid of the chickens, she doesn’t know the difference between a lettuce and a cabbage and she has a new, adoring, annoying little sister. While her family’s warmth and love are abundant, their attempts to protect her only increase Frida’s bewilderment and isolation.
This autobiographical first feature explores Frida’s conflicting emotions as she struggles to process her losses and adjust to her new life. The performances of the two children are disarmingly vulnerable and natural in this gorgeous, yet unsentimental film about a child navigating grief.
“Striking a careful balance between narrative and atmosphere, the writer-director paints a vivid portrait of a light-filled summer when a little girl has to face the loss of her mother and integration into a new nuclear family.” – Jay Weissberg, Variety
Summer 1993 UK trailer from New Wave Films on Vimeo.
Festivals:
Berlin International Film Festival 2017
Awards:
Best First Feature – Berlin International Film Festival 2017
Grand Prix of the Generation Kplus International Jury – Berlin International Film Festival 2017
“…tender and determined… authentic and memorable.” – Sarah Ward, ScreenDaily
“Filmed in the locations where the director lived at that age, “Summer 1993” is movingly understated and beautifully acted. The colors are muted and the style is naturalistic.” – Jeannette Catsoulis, The New York Times
We made this!