My Mexican Bretzel with Nuria Giménez

In this episode, we feature a conversation with Nuria Giménez in Barcelona. She is the director of MY MEXICAN BRETZEL.

MY MEXICAN BRETZEL is Nuria’s debut feature-length film made entirely out of her grandfather's home footage; Super 8 and 16 mm films from the 1950s and 1960s are juxtaposed with excerpts from a diary to reveal the inner thoughts of Vivian Barrett, the beautiful wife of Leon.

The entire film works as a personal reflection where love, desire, and death are explored. Through the images, we become privy to Vivian and Leon’s seemingly aspirational lifestyle - skying in the Alps during winter and sailing the Mediterranean during the Summer. The footage is contrasted with Vivian’s diary entries, where she captures her everyday concerns and observations, allowing a nuanced and intimate reading of the images. 

It is an excellent film; one of those rare times that as soon as the movie ended, I went back and started watching it again from the beginning. Out of pure admiration, I contacted the filmmaker to invite her to speak about her process. 

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ABOUT THE DIRECTORS / Nuria Giménez

Born in 1976, Spain, Giménez studied Journalism, International Relations and Documentary Film. After her studies, she improved her knowledge of filmmaking by attending masterclasses and seminars of filmmakers such as Virginia García del Pino, Wang Bing and Stephen Frears. She directed her first documentary short, KAFENEIO, in 2017. It screened at Documenta Madrid and Bogota Documentary IFF. MY MEXICAN BRETZEL (2019) is her first feature.