Meritxell Colell wins dual critic awards at Locarno Film Festival

Meritxell Colell’s film ‘Lejos de los árboles’ has received two critical honors at the 79th Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland. The production earned the FIPRESCI Prize from the International Federation of Film Critics and the Boccalino d’Oro 2026 from independent Swiss critics.

The film follows a Mexican sound artist, the granddaughter of Catalan Republican exiles, on a journey through Peru and Mexico. The narrative explores themes of family silence, the fragility of memory, and the preservation of endangered languages through a sonic map.

Filmed across locations in Peru—including the Cusco region, the jungle, and the Andes—and Catalonia, the work has been recognized by international critics for its unique approach to contemporary auteur cinema and its treatment of diaspora and colonial history.