Pyrenean Witchcraft Short Captivates Global Festivals

A short film exploring Pyrenean witchcraft myths, shot in the Catalan village of Oliana, has captivated audiences worldwide, including at a festival in China.

Directed by Andorran filmmaker Marc Camardons, *Per bruixa i metzinera* (By Witch and Healer) follows Cebriana, a woodcutter haunted by a mysterious nighttime bonfire in the forest that vanishes without trace. The story draws on local legends of trementinaires—female herbalists and healers—and family tales Camardons heard from his grandmothers, one from Casa Nova d’Ogern and the other from cal Tomàs d’Oliana.

The production, made by students at Escac film school with a script co-written by Rita Acebrón, premiered internationally in Cannes’ La Cinef section for young talent. It went on to screen at Sweden, Albania, India, the US, and most recently the Hainan Island International Film Festival (HIIFF) on China’s Hainan island.

“We expected things to happen, but what’s unfolding exceeds our wildest hopes,” Camardons said after returning from Hainan. Audiences there connected deeply, sharing parallel mythologies despite cultural distances. “You think it’s easy to reach Western viewers with shared roots, but no—it works everywhere,” he added.

Its Spanish debut came in the official selection at Valladolid’s Seminci, where it ranked among Spain’s top 10 shorts of the year. Camardons credits the film’s local flavour—shot in Oliana with Catalan dialogue, accents, and landscapes—for cutting through global storytelling fatigue. “We’re tired of homogenised tales; something singular stands out,” he reflected.

Plans are advancing for nearby screenings: the film will premiere in Andorra and circulate in Catalonia this spring, capping an “enviable” festival run.