“Premiering the film at the Berlinale is amazing; my main goal is to enjoy the experience”

It’s an exciting start to the year for Alauda Ruiz de Azúa, with her debut film selected to be premiered in Panorama at the Berlinale festival 2022. The Bizkaia-born director spoke with Zineuskadi about what she expects from her participation there.

- What does it mean to you for Berlinale to have chosen your film ´Cinco Lobitos´?

- It means everything. I describe it as an intimate film, made out of affection among friends. It´s a small project that’s been growing and the fact that a festival like Berlinale selects it gives you the wings to start the journey. Whenever you begin a project, you do it with great enthusiasm and you want it to connect with people, to be seen. But distribution in cinemas is not easy. Being selected for Berlinale gives us a lot of strength.

- Did you expect to be chosen?

- The truth is we never really considered it; we just didn´t think about it. We know it´s very difficult. We’re aware that this type of festival gets a lot of films, and you never know what is takes for your film to be selected. It´s true that we were very enthusiastic when we sent it, because we have a very good feeling about the film. The few people who’ve had the chance to see it and we ourselves think that it has something special, that people feel connected to it and are moved.  But there are lots of very good films so you never know what can happen.

- What is your objective for at the event?

- My only goal is to enjoy the experience. I´m very curious, because that’s where the world premiere will be. It´s the first time the film will be shown in a cinema and I´m intrigued to see people’s reaction and feedback.  Although we´ve done mini screenings with people we trust, it´s the first time it’ll be screened with a larger audience. I´m more excited than scared, and with great hopes that the film will be promoted and shown.

- For those who haven´t heard of ´Cinco lobitos´, how would you describe the film?

- It is a film that tells the story of a mother in her thirties who has problems reconciling work and family life and returns to her parents’ home in the hope that they’ll look after her while she looks after her baby. This makes us to reflect on several things. Sometimes we think we’re adults – we have our work, our life …– but we go back to our parents´ house and when they say something to us, we automatically revert to our 12-year-old selves. You never stop being a child and, at the same time, when we become parents, we start to treat our parents differently. The film talks about this change of family roles, and also shows us a lovely reunion between two very different generations of mothers: the mothers who had children in the 70s and 80s, many of whom were stay-at-home mothers, and their daughters, more modern mothers with problems of balancing motherhood and going back to work.

- Many people can relate to the story.

- No doubt. We’re all children and that’s probably the most universal connection in the film. Obviously, if you’re a mother or father there is also a sweet bond there, but even if you’re not, I think the film offers interesting reflections on ordinary relationships with parents today. I´ve tried to give the story a real-life, contemporary feel within the intimacy of this family. Then, as is almost always the case, you realise that this family has a lot in common with many people´s families.