Filling the Sink

Maria Branyas – the oldest person in the world

In January 2023 US-born Catalan woman Maria Branyas became the oldest verified living person in the world and on March 4 she celebrated her 116th birthday. To mark the occasion, Guifré Jordan revisits an interview he did with Maria in 2019.
Sam Green, an American filmmaker who recently travelled to Catalonia to record with Maria for his documentary The Oldest Person in the World, tells us why he thinks people find the subject so captivating.
This week's Catalan phrase is "és de l'any de la picor." Literally "it's from the year of the itch," it refers to a plague in Catalonia in 1471 and is used to describe something very old.
Presented by Lorcan Doherty. 

Gender-based violence – a survivor’s story in a changing society

Filling the Sink travels to a SIE center that helps women affected by gender-based violence to hear the story of one survivor and the thoughts of center director Susana Conesa.
Tània Verge, Catalan equality and feminism minister, explains what action the government is taking to tackle violence against women.
Lorcan Doherty is joined by Cristina Tomàs White and Guifré Jordan to discuss high-profile sexual assault cases involving footballer Dani Alves and journalist Saül Gordillo and the recent controversy over Spain's 'only yes means yes' consent law.
This week's Catalan phrase is "estar-ne fins als ovaris," which means I've had it up to my ovaries or I've had it up to here. It's a modern twist on "estar-ne fins als collons," with collons being a slang term for testicles. 

Stories of Ukrainian refugees and Russian dissidents in Catalonia – one year on

One year on from Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Filling the Sink hears stories from Ukrainian refugees and Russian dissidents who have fled to Catalonia. Fashion designer Ksenia Karpenko talks about the fear of losing people back home and how she has tried to adapt and keep her brand going. Anna Vykhovanets, Tatiana Hulevets and Olena Kol explain why they chose to start working in the Costa Brava hotel where the Red Cross had sent them to stay. Dissidents Anna Shevchenko, Nikita Kazantcev, and Andrei Paniushkin describe their run-ins with the Russian authorities and why they fled to Catalonia.  
This week's Catalan phrase is 'no tenir solta ni volta'. A hard one to translate literally, it is used to describe something that does not make any sense. Presented by Lorcan Doherty with Cillian Shields. 

Carnival time! – food (and food fights), parades and parties

Filling the Sink travels to two coastal towns famous for their carnival shenanigans – Vilanova i la Geltrú and Sitges. Expect food fights and raucous parades! Carnival is a big deal in Catalonia – a hedonistic week of music, dance, dressing up, copious amounts of food and general revelry before Lent. Lorcan Doherty gets the lowdown from Catalan News' very own Carnival King and Queen, Gerard Escaich Folch and Cristina Tomàs White. This week's Catalan phrase is 'Per carnaval tot s'hi val' – For carnival, anything goes!

Skiing in the Catalan Pyrenees – guide to slopes and sustainability conundrum

It's ski season! Wrap up warm, grab your goggles and gloves, this week Filling the Sink heads to the slopes with a guide to skiing in the Catalan Pyrenees.
But hold on, with the climate emergency and ongoing drought, does it make sense to be going?
Guifré Jordan travels to Cerdanya to hear both sides of the debate, with La Molina's Marta Viver, and Marcel Sangenís, from the Stop the Winter Olympics group.
This week's Catalan phrase is 'trencar el gel'. It means 'to break the ice', and is used just like in English.
Presented by Lorcan Doherty.   

Movie director J.A. Bayona – from Barcelona to Hollywood

Lauded by Steven Spielberg and Guillermo del Toro, Barcelona-born J.A. Bayona is the director of movies like The Impossible, A Monster Calls and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.
On the red carpet at the 2023 Gaudí Awards, Bayona chats to Filling the Sink about the ups and downs of his career to date, and his upcoming movie, Society of the Snow.
Cillian Shields talks to two of his former teachers at ESCAC film school – Jaume Macià and Joan Marimón – to find out if the young Bayona was always destined for success.
This week's Catalan phrase is 'ser el dolent de la pel·lícula'. It means 'to be the baddy in the film', but it is used in real life too.
Presented by Lorcan Doherty with Gerard Escaich Folch.  

CANADA – the Catalans making music videos for stars like Rosalía and Dua Lipa

What do Rosalía, Nike, Dua Lipa, Apple, Tame Impala and IKEA have in common? They have all had videos made for them by CANADA – a Barcelona-based production company with a knack for the weird and wonderful. Lope Serrano, Co-Founder and Creative Director, and Alba Barneda, Global Head of Production, chat about their meteoric rise from making videos for their mates to becoming one of the pop world's go-to video producers. They share anecdotes about their creative process and what to do when something goes drastically wrong. Spoiler alert - sometimes, it turns out better! This week's Catalan phrase is 'tocar de peus a terra': keep your feet on the ground. Presented by Lorcan Doherty with Gerard Escaich Folch.  

Orwell, the Civil War and more – homage to writers who made Catalonia home

George Orwell, Pablo Neruda, Gabriel García Márquez. Just some of the 20th Century's greatest writers who for a time called Catalonia home. Tadhg Prendiville from Barcelona Literary Tours takes Cillian Shields on a trip around the city. Cristina Tomàs White joins Lorcan Doherty to discuss the international poets, novelists and journalists who came to Catalonia – some during the Civil War, some fleeing dictatorships in South America, and others, simply for the adventure. This week's Catalan phrase is 'estar escrit'. Literally 'to be written', it means something is decided, set in stone. The following is a list of writers – and one influential literary agent – mentioned in the podcast. 
George Orwell 
Pablo Neruda 
Isabel Allende 
John Dos Passos 
Simone Weil 
Muriel Rukeyser 
Colm Tóibín 
Louis MacNeice
Langston Hughes 
Ernest Hemingway 
Martha Gellhorn 
Roberto Bolaño 
Gabriel García Márquez 
Carmen Balcells 
Manuel Vázquez Montalbán 
Mario Vargas Llosa 
Truman Capote 
Eduardo Galeano 
Cristina Peri Rossi 
Cristina Rivera Garza 
Mathias Énard 
Denise Duncan 

Catalan connections – high-speed rail guide, night train rumors, cross-border links

Guifré Jordan joins Lorcan Doherty for this guide to Catalonia's high-speed rail connections.
Cristina Tomàs White takes a trip to Paris from Barcelona with SNCF.
Romain Payet, co-founder of Midnight Trains explains why he is intent on bringing international night trains to Catalonia soon.
Adrià Ramirez, head of the PTP group lobbying for better public transport explains what improvements he would still like to see.
This week's Catalan phrase is 'deixar algú amb la mel a la boca'. Literally 'leave someone with honey in their mouth', it means to deprive someone of something pleasant that they were beginning to savor or enjoy. 

New Year – 2022 in quotes and a look ahead to 2023

Bon any nou! Guifré Jordan and Gerard Escaich Folch join Lorcan Doherty to see what 2023 has in store in Catalonia, from politics and the economy to society, culture and sport.
Catalans are set to vote in at least two elections, museums will mark significant anniversaries of Picasso, Miró and Tàpies, and FC Barcelona are to up sticks from the Camp Nou to the Olympic Stadium for a season.
We also look back at the year that was with some choice quotes that sum up 2022.
This week's Catalan phrase is 'qui dia passa, any empeny'. Literally 'who passes a day, pushes a year', it means to take a laissez-faire attitude, to leave problems for another day. 

Solidarity at Christmas – Charity drives, fundraisers, food banks and toy appeals

Christmas is a time of celebration, of family and friends, of giving and receiving gifts, but it can also be a very lonely and very expensive time of year. Gerard Escaich Folch and Cillian Shields join Lorcan Doherty to look at some of the ways people in Catalonia are giving back this Christmas, including a Red Cross campaign that aims to make sure that no child goes without presents. Ferran Busquets, director of the Arrels Foundation, talks about the importance of the Christmas meals his organization provides for homeless people. This week's Catalan phrase is 'Com més serem, més riurem', which means 'The more of us there are, the more we laugh', or simply, 'The more the merrier'! 

Local elections lowdown – mayoral battles and how foreigners can vote

Catalonia goes to the polls next May 28th but foreigners eligible to vote need to be registered much sooner.
Cristina Tomàs White gives the lowdown on who has the right to vote and how to register.
Cillian Shields chats to Pere Moradell, mayor of Torroella de Fluvià since 1979.
Maxime Van Cleven compares voting rights across Europe and beyond.
Plus a look at some of the intriguing mayoral battles across Catalonia.
This week's Catalan phrase is 'Embolica que fa fort'. Literally something like 'wrap to make strong', it means a situation is becoming more complicated.
Presented by Lorcan Doherty.