Collective residencies / Cinema- Screenwriting for films II / Olot
ELENA SERRA DOMÍNGUEZ
From Monday, 16 May 2022 to Friday, 27 May 2022
Bio
She has worked as a development executive and script editor in more than 40 films for independent producers and for the Audiovisual Development Center (CDA) of the Generalitat de Catalunya. Elena's credits as feature film writer include Cala Reial (2003), Romasanta, The Hunt for the Beast (2004), Prime-Time (2008), Noches de duende y luna (2020) and Poker Face (2021). She teaches scriptwriting at different schools and universities, including Escola de Cinema de Barcelona (ECIB), Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), the University of Barcelona (UB) and the University of Lleida (UdL). However, she conducts seminars and workshops at other international universities and cultural centers. She currently combines teaching with the mentoring of the animated feature films Gus and Xim Pum and with the writing of the scripts La mel és més dolça que la sang and El secreto del corazón.
Project
During my residence at faberllull, I would like Faber's tutors to help us build the basic structure and the outline of the film, which spans almost 40 years of her life, without being episodic.
Based on a true story. Summer, 1904. Lídia, an illiterate fishmonger and daughter of the last witch in Cadaqués, falls madly in love with the young Barcelona writer Eugeni d’Ors. When he leaves, her obsession becomes delusional, to the point that she thinks she is La Ben Plantada, the protagonist of one of the author's works. And while longing for a reunion that doesn't happen, she becomes the muse of Dalí and Lorca.
We went to Faberllull with the intention of writing a story about Lídia de Cadaqués, a real life character from the beginning of the 20th century who hypnotized us ever since discovering her story. To give you an idea of the kind of woman she was, we can only tell you that Eugeni d'Ors named her "El Quijote del Mediterrani" and that Dalí considered her "the muse of paranoid-critical thinking".
We were very clear about the genre, the tone and the type of feature film we wanted to write and also what we wanted to tell. But it was very difficult for us to drop some of the important parts of her biography that captivated us, while keeping what defines the character's arc and the structure of the script. A lot of things were happening, we had enough material to fill a whole series ...
During these days in Olot, we worked hard. We were able to get rid of some events that enchanted us, but did not let the plot suffer. We have focused on the stage of her life that defined her as the Lídia de Cadaqués that we know today (from 1904 to 1922) and we have defined the structure of all the plots of the film. We were able to develop the character in depth, her emotional arc and her delirium. The advice of Enric Rufas has been crucial. He has helped us to take steps and be more confident in our edit decisions. To fall out of love with some of the things that we had in common, but which did not help us tell the core of the story.
Ten days later, we left the Riu Hotel with a solid structure and eager to embark on the writing of the treatment.