Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alba Morera. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alba, we appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is my first feature film “Marta Carrasco”. This artistic documentary has been such a rewarding experience, both creatively and on a human level.
Performer and choreographer Marta Carrasco is bold, provocative, intuitive, seductive, vulnerable, depressive, funny and brilliant. She has been revolutionising the contemporary dance scene for thirty years, touring internationally and collecting awards left and right. This avant-garde artist – often referred as the Spanish Pina Bausch – has created a new genre: it’s not dance nor theatre; it simply is ‘Carrasco’. It’s impossible to label it. However, her art is ephemeral. With this film we want to preserve her dance, her shows, the passage of time.
Carrasco is an emotional bombshell of unclassifiable charisma, so proud of her insecurities that it’s unsettling. She doesn’t hesitate to strip herself physically and emotionally to reveal her miseries and frustrations without shame, but also her enriching experiences. Through dance, she expresses what she can’t express in words, and she does it incisively. She always goes in deep. Her visceral and visually stunning choreographies leave no one indifferent. With her emotional performance, Carrasco provokes, seduces, challenges and inspires the audience.
She explores that space between the sane and the insane, between what is considered normal and the human oddities that fascinate her so much. And then she makes us laugh out loud, knowing that we need to laugh to survive. Carrasco’s cry of protest rings loud and clear – against abuse, machismo and society’s hypocrisy. She exposes the weaknesses, fears and heroics of the human experience, especially of women.
This powerful leader has a dual persona: in life, she is a shy, introverted, vulnerable woman, who bears little resemblance to the beast on stage. Now, at 60, she faces the closure of her company and the end of a journey in which all her life’s conflicts have been channeled toward the search for truth through movement. The mirror returns to the artist an image transformed by time, changes in which she struggles to recognize herself. “What can I do now to fly?” she asks herself. The answer is to keep her feet on the ground.
In this cinematic journey, we navigate through her work with her in a nonlinear, experimental way, true to her style, seeking answers to the meaning of everything she has lived and created, of her career, of her legacy… as she continues to build artistically from a different place.
We want to use a tool as poignant as cinema to bring Marta Carrasco’s art to the general public so she can be discovered by those who don’t know her, and rediscovered by those who’ve already seen her.
Together with an A-list team of Carrasco’s old time collaborators, we’ve recreated the most iconic moments of her shows and filmed her over the course of two years. The tone is direct, intimate and raw. The colors are vibrant, rich primary colors with a predominant red – similar to Almodovar’s signature palette. The style is poetic, but contrasted. We’ve maintained a minimalist mise-en-scène in order to give full force to feelings and the striking imagery that Carrasco creates.
We have 65 hours of Carrasco’s stunning choreographies, 172 hours of her creative process and personal world, as well as 85 hours of spontenous conversations – bountiful material to delve into in order to build her portrait!
As the basis for the narrative structure, we’re distilling a sensation, an intuition, a reference… her emotions, not her biography… her fears, being called “crazy” just because she dares to show the horror of abuse and alcoholism as they are, without any reservations or palliatives. Her choreographies are a mirror of a deep pain I had felt at a time when I wanted love more than my own truth. She shows it in such a direct way that is a punch in the stomach.
This is why I’m turning this footage and conversations into an emotional cinematic experience, as close as possible to the experience of attending a Marta Carrasco show. I want to shake the audience and make them feel the intensity and human richness of Carrasco’s creative world.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’m a filmmaker and photographer native of Barcelona. I’m based both in Spain and the US.
I have a background in theatre, photography and film and I’m passionate about directing. I’ve spent 20 years in Los Angeles, honing my craft before returning to my roots. I’m both worlds and this informs my creative work, which is anchored in emotional authenticity. I’ve also come to realize that telling stories is my form of activism. In other words, making movies is my commitment to social change. I want to impact audiences on a visceral level and raise awareness that way. I also seek to amplify women’s voices and confront systemic inequalities in the film industry.
I hold a BA in Audiovisual Communication from Universitat Pompeu Fabra. I received “la Caixa” Scholarship to complete graduate film studies in Directing and Screenwriting at the Los Angeles Film School where I directed several short films. “Wall/Paper” premiered at the SITGES International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia (official selection) and opened ZINEBI International Festival of Documentary and Short of Bilbao. It was distributed by Canal + and Masesmas. It won the ASC Heritage Award, Honorable Mention.
I worked as an assistant director and script supervisor before collaborating with Venezuelan filmmaker Fina Torres. I became a script reader at Esperanza Productions and, later on, the director of development at Goff Productions.
In the next stage and until 2021, I wrote feature film scripts “Jesse Gray” and “Take Back My Dance” while directing music videos at my production company AMPM Productions.
My return to Barcelona in 2022 was triggered by a desire to create meaningful work in a more supportive environment for women filmmakers.
In Spain, I worked as a photographer and videographer at Alba Morera Photography. I specialized in music & performing arts photography. In addition to being one of Barcelona International Jazz Festival’s photographers, I collaborated with artists such as Andrea Motis, Marco Mezquida, Manuel Gerena, Bertran Swing Band, Swing Engine, puppeteer Jordi Bertran and bubble artist Pep Bou, among others. I was road manager for dancer/choreographer Marta Carrasco in “Perra de nadie” US tour and I continued to collaborate with her on various projects, including her show “Mira’m” with actors from ESAD/Institut del Teatre.
I also wrote, directed and produced several documentary and narrative shorts: “Orquestres per la llibertat” is about music as a unifying force during the Spanish Transition from Franco’s dictatorship to democracy; “Hi Som” was created in honor of non-profit organization Hi Som’s 10th Anniversary working for diverstiy and inclusion; “Campelles” takes us back to singer-songwriter Laia Llach’s childhood and those magical moments of complicity and togetherness with her friends; “Torna’m la vida” was shot as a teaser for the feature film I’m prepping. These short films have won several international awards.
In 2024, I founded my own production company Alba Morera Vallverdú, with the aim to tell impactful stories about socially relevant themes, with layered female characters as leads. In addition to the feature “Torna’m la vida”, I’ve got a docufiction project “Veus Silenciades” in development. I’m co-writing this story about migratory grief with Nadia Ghulam Dastgir who is an activist known for her vocal defense of human rights of Afghan women. Feature documentary “Marta Carrasco” is in the works and it delves into themes of vulnerability and strength, highlighting the duality of this celebrated dancer.
I look forward to my next chapter in which I can find a balance betwen working both in Spain and the US. Establishing and expanding relationships that connect both countries through co-productions is the new territory I’m currently exploring.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Moving to the U.S alone when I was 22 to study film and create a new life there is probably the biggest leap I’ve ever taken. Navigating a new culture, expressing myself in a different language and adapting to a big city like Los Angeles gave me the opportunity to grow fast and develop skills that later on served me well, both in the film industry and life itself.
Having a strong work ethic and a keen sense for people helped me get connected and established as a filmmaker. It took hard work and perseverance to set a path for myself in such a competitive field. My passion and enthusiasm would always fuel me, yet it was my 4 to 5-hour daily commitment to doing creative work that was a game changer. Those hours were sacred: no matter how busy or tired I was after my day job, I had to show up. Showing up didn’t necessarily mean I had to pick up the pen to write; it was more about being fully present with my inner life and focusing my mind on the story I wanted to tell. Working the craft every day allowed me to hone my creative voice and get clear on my vision.
In my case, I knew I wanted to direct films from an early age. I was aware that there was no easy road there. I encountered many obstacles along the way and I received many NO’s as an answer, but I kept on going at my own pace, knocking on new doors until I found the right allies. Being persistent, direct and honest were key to forging a path for myself while staying true to who I was.
I’ve learned a lot from my mistakes. Once I know what doesn’t work, I can easily move in new directions. When I come to a crossroad in which an important choice needs to be made, I weigh the pros and the cons and I always ask myself: “What is the worst thing that can happen if I do this or that?” That way I don’t get stuck in fear and I remind myself that I have nothing to lose for trying.
When an opportunity presents itself, you have to be ready to jump on it. That’s why practicing my craft on a daily basis has been crucial for my artistic growth. Thank you Joan Scheckel Filmmaking Labs for being such a vibrant community to do this with! Getting a feature film project off the ground is no easy task and it can take years. When the time to direct my first feature finally arrived, I had the tools and the experience to make the most of that creative journey. That’s when I understood that every single day I dedicated to following my heart, every single project I worked on and every single life experience I had were a part of becoming who I am now.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
To me, the most rewarding aspect of being creative is the FREEDOM to explore those territories about human nature that compell me, move me deeply or invite me to learn something. I’m drawn to the unknown, to the mystery, to that dark side…to those realms that bring a greater dimension and clarity to our relationships in life.
The other aspect I love about my craft is CONNECTION. Film is a deeply collaborative process that brings creatives from differents fields together. We join forces to tell a story and each of us adds nuances to this story, making it grow. We work towards a common goal.
Bringing a vision to life as a team is challenging yet magical. It creates unity and each project takes us on a different journey. There is no room for boredom! Our work can be stressful at times, but this gigantic effort of making a movie is a miracle itself and is worth every ounce of the energy we all invest on it. Film has the power to reach and impact audiences all over the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.albamoreraphotography.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/albachigo/?hl=en
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/albamorera/
Image Credits
David Ruano
Lili Bonmatí
Alba Morera