Private Project

Diables

Once a year in the city of Girona in Northern Catalunya, a ritual of fire is reborn, the Correfoc literally meaning ‘fire run’ is an expression of Catalan’s cultural identity & independence. Through immense observation cut with irresistible fiery imagery, we see this explosive ritual and the ‘devils’ who participate in it.

  • Tom Sweetland
    Director
    King of the Arena
  • Joan Mussons
    Producer
  • Richard Bell ACS
    Cinematographer
    A Good Woman is Hard to Find
  • Tom Sweetland
    Cinematographer
  • Richard Pike
    Composer
    AUSTRALIAN GANGSTER, ROMPER STOMPER
  • Timo Säilä
    Sound Design & Mixing
  • Spencer Ferszt
    Editor
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Genres:
    Culture, Art, under 15mins, relationship, traditions, catalunya, subtitled, Girona
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes 14 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 1, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    30,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    Spain
  • Language:
    Catalan
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Tom Sweetland

I’m an independent filmmaker who conceives, directs and shoots original documentaries. I started in the industry at the BBC, training as a self-shooting director before making the leap into short-form and digital content.

My last short film ‘King of the Arena’ following an aspiring wrestler in Senegal was nominated for Best Cinematography at the Lift Off Festival, selected by National Geographic for their short film showcase & was featured by Nowness.com

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I remember watching a Correfoc for the first time at a festival in Barcelona called La Merce, people were running through the streets with fireworks attached to pitchforks, chasing the spectators, and they’d created these huge dragon-like monster which fired sparks into crowds of people and I thought “This is crazy, only in Spain would you get something so dangerous and beautiful” I was completely enthralled and began imaging how I could make a documentary about this. 8 Years later Diables was made.