The film Sis dies corrents, by Neus Ballús, alumni of the UPF bachelor’s degree in Audiovisual Communication and of the Master in Creative Documentary at the UPF Barcelona School of Management, has been selected to compete at the Locarno International Film Festival (Switzerland), which will be held from 4 to 14 August, in the Concorso internazionale section, the event's main competition. Founded in 1946, the Locarno Festival is one of the 15 most prestigious as well as one of the most historic in the world, as this year it is in its 74^th edition. The film is produced by Distinto Films and El Kinògraf, and the film will be released in cinemas by Filmax Lab Creative Studio in Barcelona, on 1 July 2021.

Films have reached the Concorso internazionale section by such renowned filmmakers as Wong Kar-Wai, Claire Denis, Jim Jarmush and Mia Hansen-Løve, among others. Almost twenty movies will be competing in this new edition for the “Golden Leopard”, the highest honour awarded by the festival. The jury will be composed of five personalities from the world of international film and culture.

Sis dies corrents is the third feature film by Neus Ballús after debuting with La Plaga (Berlinale, 2013) and El viatge de Marta (Berlinale, 2019). Based on real situations and characters, the film recounts the everyday life of Moha, Valero and Pep, employees of a plumbing company on the outskirts of Barcelona.

Sis dies corrents, like La Plaga, is a hybrid genre film that combines fiction with elements borrowed from reality. The film retains the characteristic sensitivity of its author, but this time Ballús steers away from drama entering a seemingly light-hearted mood, turning the proposal into a singular comedy. As usual in her films, in Sis dies corrents Ballús she works with a cast composed entirely of actors who play themselves.

The film seeks to offer a new perspective on one of the biggest challenges facing our diverse and multicultural society: that of understanding one another

After two years of casting and documenting on the world of plumbers and installers, Ballús chose the three main characters -all real plumbers- acting out a wide variety of situations that arise when they go to a customer’s house to do repair work. The entire cast, with no experience in the world of film, did a training workshop before shooting. Filming took place chronologically.

Also, Ballús incorporated documentary methods into the shooting to achieve fresh, genuine, yet surprising situations and performances. Under a veneer of humour, light-heartedness and mundanity, the six stories that make up the film (corresponding to a six-day working week), masks a deep reflection on the prejudices that are triggered when we are forced to spend time with someone different from us.

At a time when intolerance and racism are rife, the film seeks to offer a new perspective on one of the biggest challenges facing our diverse and multicultural society: that of understanding one another.

The film has the support of the UPF Master in Creative Documentary and the participation of Radio Televisión Española, Televisió de Catalunya and Movistar+, and is backed by the ICAA and the ICEC.