Filling the Sink

Alcarràs – Catalan cinema bears fruit on international stage

Alcarràs, from Catalan filmmaker Carla Simón, won the Golden Bear at this year's Berlin International Film Festival.
At the premiere in Lleida, cast members chat to Filling the Sink about Simón's unique directing style and the movie's themes of traditional farming in the modern world.
Cillian Shields and Angus Clelland join Lorcan Doherty to chat about Alcarràs, as well as Simón's other films and the hallmarks of Catalan cinema.
Judith Colell, president of the Catalan Film Academy, explains how international success can benefit the next generation of Catalan filmmakers.
This week's Catalan phrase is 'com una casa de pagès'. Literally, 'like a farmhouse', it means something very big or obvious.  

Sant Jordi celebrations and bookshops battling online giants

Sant Jordi - Saint George - is the patron saint of Catalonia. His feast day, April 23, is a celebration of love, roses and romance, as well as books and literature. Lorcan Doherty is joined by Guifré Jordan and Angus Clelland to chat about what makes this day so special for Catalans and how independent book stores in Barcelona are trying to survive and thrive in the age of online shopping. This week's Catalan phrase is 'ploure a bots i barrals', similar to 'it's raining cats and dogs' in English.  

Keeping the faith – religious youth (and Easter cakes!)

With Catalonia becoming ever more secular, especially among younger generations, we hear from four people bucking that trend: Nagia, a Muslim; Gagandeep, a Sikh; Dolma, a Buddhist; and Gisela, a Catholic.
Plus, never mind Easter eggs, Lluís Estrada Canal of Pastisseria Canal explains everything you need to know about mones de pasqua, Catalonia's traditional Easter cakes.
Lorcan Doherty is joined by Cristina Tomàs White and Gerard Escaich Folch.
This week's Catalan phrase is 'encara que es vesteixi de seda, la mona, mona es queda'. It means 'even dressed in silk, a monkey is still a monkey'.

Food, glorious food! Mediterranean diet and veggie trends

We visit Alimentaria, one of the world's biggest food and drink trade fairs.
Cillian Shields learns about the Mediterranean diet, chatting artichokes with Montse Lozano from El Prat Agricultural Cooperative, olive oil with Victor Huguet from Oils of Catalonia, and pickled veg with Rioverde's Alejandra Rovira and Cristina Bezares.
Cristina Tomàs White looks at the past, present and future of vegetarianism with Flax & Kale's Jordi Barri, Maria Sánchez from Noel charcuterie, and Ana Torrejón, a chemical engineer developing cultured meat with Ainia.
This week's Catalan phrase is 's'ha acabat el bròquil'. Literally, 'the broccoli's over', it's used when there's nothing left of something or when something's done or finished.
Presented by Lorcan Doherty. 

Cost of living crisis – Ukraine war fuels price hikes and protests

Cristina Tomàs White and Cillian Shields join Lorcan Doherty to discuss the economic effects in Catalonia of the war in Ukraine.
Cristina Serradell, director of international trade at Catalonia Trade & Investment, explains how Catalan businesses and global supply chains are adjusting.
We hear from truckers and taxi drivers protesting against rising fuel costs, find out how soaring energy prices are hurting manufacturers, and ask what actions authorities are taking to address the crisis.
This week's Catalan phrase is 'has begut oli', literally 'you have drunk oil', it means you have made a big mistake.

Ukrainian refugees – first steps of a new life in Catalonia

As thousands of Ukrainian refugees take their first steps towards building a new life in Catalonia, we hear about the efforts being made to help them settle in, by the authorities and by ordinary people too.
Guifré Jordan travels to Guissona in western Catalonia, a small town with a significant Ukrainian population. He chats to volunteers Romaniya Dzhus and Ignasi Ribera, mayor Jaume Ars and secondary school teacher Jordi Ticó.
Gerard Escaich Folch meets Irina, a Ukrainian living in Catalonia, and her childhood friend, Alexandra, a refugee who fled Ukraine with her two daughters.
This week's Catalan phrase is 'allargar la mà', or, 'to give a helping hand'.
Presented by Lorcan Doherty.

Catalan in schools – reasons behind language immersion and why it’s in jeopardy

Catalonia has had an educational policy of linguistic immersion for over 30 years. In other words, teaching in schools is done through Catalan.
Gerard Escaich Folch and Guifré Jordan join Lorcan Doherty to explain how the system works, the rationale behind it, and why it could now be in jeopardy.
We get the opinions of Ana Losada, spokesperson for School for Everyone and head of the Assembly for Bilingual Schooling; Albert Bayot Fuertes, the Girona representative of the Catalan Graduate Teachers Association; and Anna Rosés, a Catalan teacher at Escola Pia Sarrià-Calassanç in Barcelona.
This week's Catalan phrase is 'fer escola'. Literally 'to do or make school', it means to have disciples, followers or imitators. 

Changed lives – four stories to mark two years of Covid

Marking two years of the pandemic, four stories from people whose lives changed dramatically: 
Tony Martín, a language teacher and transplant patient with long Covid. 
Eva Celebrovsky, who has geleophysic dysplasia and whose son has a serious metabolic disorder. 
Dr. Robert Güerri, Head of Infectious Diseases and Covid-19 Hospitalization Coordinator at Hospital del Mar in Barcelona. 
Jeroni Castell, the Michelin-starred chef and owner of Les Moles in Ulldecona who reinvented his business.
Presented by Lorcan Doherty with Cristina Tomàs White, Cillian Shields, Gerard Escaich Folch and Guifré Jordan.
This week's Catalan phrase is 'tirar-se a la piscina', literally 'to throw yourself in the pool', it means to take a risk or 'to take the plunge'. 

Ukraine war impact in Catalonia – protests, donations, refugees

Since Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered a large-scale military invasion of Ukraine, Catalonia – especially its 25,000-strong Ukrainian community – has reacted with daily protests, a massive humanitarian aid effort and by welcoming people fleeing the conflict. We hear from Ukrainians and Russians living here on the impact the war is having. Lorcan Doherty is joined by Guifré Jordan and Cillian Shields. This week's Catalan phrase is 'tenir mala llet', literally 'to have bad milk', it means to be nasty or have bad intentions.  

Cannabis clubs and weed farms – Catalonia, Europe’s marijuana hotbed

Catalonia is home to some 500 cannabis clubs, establishments that exploit ambiguities in the law to provide a space for members to socialize and smoke. Gerard Escaich Folch visits one in Barcelona and speaks to blogger Javier Díaz and Patrícia Amiguet, president of the Federation of Catalan Cannabis Associations. Catalonia is also the "epicenter of Europe's illegal marijuana market," according to police. Cristina Tomàs White speaks to Mossos d'Esquadra officer Joan Carles Granja and learns about the legal situation of cannabis from Joan Bertomeu, a lawyer at the specialist law firm, Brotsanbert. This week's Catalan phrase is 'fumar com una xemeneia' – to smoke like a chimney. Presented by Lorcan Doherty. 

Digital Nomads – the remote workers making Catalonia home (for a while)

If you can work from home, you can work from anywhere. That's the philosophy of the digital nomad. Cristina Tomàs White, Cillian Shields and Lorcan Doherty explore what makes Catalonia one of the top spots for people who want to combine work and travel. Núria Bernat from Coimpact Coliving tells us about creating a community space for digital nomads arriving in Barcelona. UX designer Nathan Dolan shares why he chose to set up in the Catalan capital. We look at the legal and tax implications for digital nomads in Catalonia, with tips from Alejandro Guayta, tax lawyer at DiG lawyers. This week's Catalan phrase is 'anem per feina', which literally means 'let's go to work', but has the sense of 'let's do this', 'let's get down to business'.  

Calçots and calçotades – Catalonia’s onion craze

From the outside, calçots may appear to be just a simple, humble vegetable, but for Catalans they are the centerpiece of the calçotada – big, social barbecues that are hugely popular during the winter and early spring.
Cristina Tomàs White and Cillian Shields travel to Valls, the center of the calçot universe, to discover the traditional way to cook – and eat! – calçots.
Laura Ricote and David Nieto from Casa Fèlix share their recipe for salsa de calçots.
This week's Catalan phrase is 'menjar com un porc', which means 'to eat like a pig'.
Presented by Lorcan Doherty.