Aya in the Desert

Pitched on stage by Julia Horrillo Pla, writer of the project along with Verónica Adell, the story of this 90-minute 2D feature is a social drama aimed at young adult and adult audiences. Horrillo Pla explained that she used to live with her parents in the south of Spain, not too far from the Moroccan coast, so it wasn’t rare to see migrants and boats: “Some of these arrivals inspired the making of the film. [In particular,] one day I found the pants of an 8-year-old child.” The story focuses on Awa, aged 12-13, who wishes to flee Ivory Coast with her mother owing to the ongoing civil war, which has already killed her father and her brother. At some stage, it becomes clear that the mother won’t make the trip, so she leaves alone. She ends up reaching Cádiz by sea, dressed as a boy. During her dangerous journey to Europe, she imagines the conquests of an imaginary Ivorian hero, whose adventures will merge with reality, so as to cope with the trauma and her mother’s absence. The writers are now finalising the third draft of what they defined as a “story of survival and strength.” The picture is being produced by Norbert Llaràs Carles for Alhena Production.