28/10/2022 - We talk with the filmmaker, who has cast Marta Nieto in her first feature film, in which she tackles issues such as freedom, the end of life and the fragility of being human

The first film by Estefanía Cortés, Edén [+see also:
trailer
interview: Estefanía Cortés
film profile], starring only four actors, Marta Nieto, Ramón Barea, Charlotte Vega and Israel Elejalde, was presented as part of the Punto de Encuentro section of the 67th Seminci - Valladolid International Film Week. The film comes to Spanish cinemas this Friday 28 October, distributed by Syldavia Cinema, and for both these reasons we talked to the director behind the short films Moiré, Yerbabuena and Miss Wamba.

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Cineuropa: You’re the sister of Alfonso Cortés-Cavanillas, the director of The (Silent) War [+see also:
trailer
film profile], who has also been in charge of editing Edén. What is it about your family that you love cinema so much?
Estefanía Cortés: Yes, our family has always been linked to art. My grandfather was a film-loving journalist and on my mother's side there are several musicians. In Alfonso's case, we have very different film references, but who better than my brother to provide a different perspective to the editing? I'm very controlling of everything, and I think it’s good to leave some freedom for someone else to take on the editing.

Death is very present in your first film, it’s a subject we hardly talk about in our western society. Why is it taboo if it’s as natural as being born?
Totally! The only certainty we have in this life is that we will die one day. I already addressed this in my short film Miss Wamba, also featuring Ramón Barea. I find the subject interesting, I'm not sure why. I connect with it and want to explore it. The idea for Edén came about when I read an article about some people who met to take their own lives together, and I asked myself why did they need that last human contact, where did they go and who were they. Because I don't feel uncomfortable thinking about death.

Euthanasia is also an idea that hangs over Edén.
I didn't want to give my outright opinion in the film, but to bring up certain questions or reflections through the characters, who have different points of view, and these come into conflict. The audience can make their own reflections because it's an uncomfortable subject that we all think when we’re alone, but it's not a common conversation. After watching the film, viewers may be able to express more freely what they think. I think that’s a good thing.

The film stands out for its use of interior spaces and architecture in contrast to the nature that blooms outside the house where most of the action takes place. Where is it located?
It is filmed in the spa resort of Panticosa, in the Aragonese Pyrenees, a spectacular location, but we had to make it more intimate, using small spaces in this enormous place. Edén is a film of constant contrasts, and I wanted a place where the characters were going to die, but that was surrounded by life. The film deals with some very tough issues, but I tried to make the viewer understand and connect with the situation, without an overly intense drama. That's why I wanted to create distance with the camera, with long and static shots, so that the audience is also there with the characters in some way. I also played with the architecture and the spaces, creating coldness, because the huge size of the place makes the characters even more defenceless and small.

Your producer Pedro de la Escalera (from Montreux Entertainment) compares you to Haneke and Lanthimos. Are there any other names among your influences, conscious or unconscious?
I think those references were in my head, but I also love Dreyer, Buñuel and even Céline Sciamma. But those you name are the ones who have influenced me the most. The story of Edén is a tough one and I wanted it to be visually beautiful to the audience, but at the same time to make them uncomfortable: I love disturbing cinema.

You’ve directed great Spanish actresses such as Ingrid Rubio, Inma Cuesta and Ruth Díaz in your short films and now, in your first feature film, Marta Nieto.
I didn't know her, and we really understood each other. Marta brings a lot to the process of creating the character. And it was the same with the others. What I like most is working with the performers and as my projects have a very specific atmosphere, we have to know how to get the whole team on the same page. But yes, I've been lucky to have worked with amazing actresses.

(Translated from Spanish by Vicky York)