Júlia ist

21-year-old architecture student Júlia (Elena Martín) leaves her hometown Barcelona to go on an exchange programme to Berlin. Not being fluent in German, living in a new city surrounded by a new culture, Júlia gets well acquainted with the feeling of being on the outside. With strong acting performances and beautiful cinematography, this is a film for everyone who has ever had to move somewhere new and establish a new life from scratch. For Júlia, her meeting with Berlin becomes just as much about getting to know herself.

Debut director Elena Martín has drawn on personal experiences, and has cast many of her real-life friends in Júlia ist. This gives the film a very genuine feel. Especially impressive is Martín herself in her role as Júlia, portraying her character as a fully formed person with good and bad sides: On the one hand she is charmingly awkward when interacting with new people, and on the other hand she is selfish when it comes to her on-again off-again boyfriend back home in Barcelona. Perhaps Berlin becomes a kind of a metaphor for Júlia herself, as a city she and her fellow students both love and hate.

Elena Martin is a Spanish director and actor who divides her time between cinema and theatre. Her first feature film Júlia Ist, where she also stars, was nominated for a Gaudí Award in Spain.