The shoot for the film Els de Sau (lit. “The Ones from Sau”), the feature debut written and directed by Elisabet Terri, wrapped recently. Starring Guim Puig (who appeared in the feature Sinjar [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] and the series Cucut), Pol Monen (nominated for the Goya Award for Best New Actor for Amar [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Esteban Crespo
scheda film], and seen recently in the series Cites and the movie My Father’s Mexican Wedding [+leggi anche:
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scheda film]) and Guillermo Lasheras (The Laws of the Border [+leggi anche:
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scheda film]), it recreates the trials and tribulations of Sau, the most famous Catalan-language rock band of the 1990s. Jaume Casals, Marcos Franz and Pablo Riguero round off the cast.

The epic story of the film, which is now in post-production, kicks off the previous decade, as young artists Carles Sabater, Pep Sala and Joan Capdevila cross paths, leading to the creation of Sau, the group behind the hit song “Boig per tu”. Their dreams start to shatter as they face economic instability and a constant string of disappointments, but their sheer passion for music and the friendship between them will give them the strength they need to attain the success they so desire.

The fact is that Sau was one of the most pioneering groups in Catalonian rock, racking up huge album sales and having an international impact. Their career lasted 12 years before being cut short by the death of Sabater (at just 36 years of age) in 1999. Moments such as their concert in the Palau Sant Jordi and their gig at the Monumental in Barcelona in 1992, which featured a collaboration with singer Luz Casal, will be reconstructed in the movie, which is being backed by Pep Sala himself.

Director Elisabet Terri trained as an actress, and in 2012, she joined forces with José Pozo to create the Andorra-based outfit Imminent Produccions, with which she has produced nine features and four short films, three of which she has directed herself: Black Wool, Vesania and Noria.

For the filmmaker, her feature debut “is a story about music, talent and success, but above all, it’s about friendship and struggles. It’s about how a group of youngsters who share similar dreams get together to make those dreams come true, and how this turns them into a genuine group of pals, whether they’d made music or not. They were not a manufactured band created in a record label’s office; on the contrary, they flourished thanks to their complicity, affection and brotherhood. They stayed true to the style of songs they wanted to make and to the language they wanted to sing them in: Catalan. And, above all else, they wanted to make quality music. This is not a documentary, but rather a fiction based on true events. It’s a whole heap of unknown anecdotes, some of which are funny and others not so much, which will change the perception of what we thought we knew about the band.”

Els de Sau is being produced by Elisabet Terri and José Pozo for Imminent Produccions, David Ortiz for Arlong Productions and Roger Corbi for FishCorb Films, and it boasts the involvement of 3Cat. Filmax will be taking care of its Spanish distribution.