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Catalans Abroad
6 November 2022 2.00 h

Mireia Vilanova. marcela topor. mtopor@cataloniatoday.cat

is a Barcelona-born, LA-based producer working in film, TV and digital media. She has led numerous projects in the US and Europe that have screened at top-tier festivals such as Tribeca, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Outfest and Palms Springs ShortFest, among others. She is currently in pre-production on her debut feature, I Live Here Now, directed by Julie Pacino

City of opportunity

Why did you leave Cat­alo­nia?
I have wanted to work in en­ter­tain­ment ever since I was a child, and grow­ing up in Barcelona, that was ob­vi­ously never a very re­al­is­tic dream. After fin­ish­ing my un­der­grad­u­ate de­gree at Pom­peu Fabra Uni­ver­sity, I re­ceived the La Caixa Fel­low­ship to do a Mas­ter’s in the United States, and I jumped at the op­por­tu­nity. Once I got the chance to start work­ing and my ca­reer took off, I knew I had made the right choice and I’ve been here since 2018.
Why did you choose Los An­ge­les?
As a film pro­ducer, mov­ing to Los An­ge­les for work was a no-brainer. It’s a hyper com­pet­i­tive city in the sense that every­one has a sim­i­lar dream, but the amount of op­por­tu­ni­ties is like nowhere else.
So you are happy with the job op­por­tu­ni­ties you found in Los An­ge­les?
Ab­solutely! It hasn’t been easy, par­tic­u­larly since im­mi­gra­tion al­ways adds hur­dles, but I’ve been able to work on pro­jects I am ex­tremely proud of, and most im­por­tantly, I have been given the tools to do my job prop­erly. I’ve also been able to learn a lot from some of the pro­jects I have pro­duced here, not just from a lo­gis­tics per­spec­tive, but also cul­tur­ally. A lot of the work that I do is re­lated to di­ver­sity, and that has shaped me a lot as a human and as a pro­fes­sional pick­ing pro­jects.
What pro­jects are you work­ing on at the mo­ment?
I am cur­rently in pre-pro­duc­tion on the live ac­tion fea­ture film I Live Here Now, which is ac­tu­ally my first fea­ture as a pro­ducer. It’s quite a chal­lenge, es­pe­cially in a Covid world, but the team is fan­tas­tic and we’re look­ing for­ward to see­ing it come to­gether. At the same time, I am also ac­tively man­ag­ing sev­eral an­i­mated pro­jects for a va­ri­ety of clients, which is a great bal­ance.
What do you think is the best thing about liv­ing there?
Los An­ge­les is a fairly dif­fi­cult and hos­tile city, but once you get used to it you re­alise that the amount of leisure op­tions avail­able can’t re­ally com­pare to Barcelona. If you are proac­tive about it, you may never be bored. To me though, the best thing about work­ing here is the abil­ity to fur­ther de­velop my ca­reer.
What would you most like to change?
Los An­ge­les is not a walk­a­ble city, nor a city with an ef­fi­cient pub­lic trans­porta­tion sys­tem, so that is ob­vi­ously some­thing that I’d like to change. Home­less­ness is also a huge prob­lem in the city due to the lack of a ro­bust wel­fare sys­tem in this coun­try and now that the may­oral elec­tion is com­ing in early No­vem­ber, I hope more re­sources are spent giv­ing the un­housed com­mu­nity the re­sources they need.
What is the best ex­pe­ri­ence you had in your adop­tive coun­try?
My first time pre­mier­ing a pro­ject at the Tribeca Film Fes­ti­val in New York - one of the biggest film fes­ti­vals in the United States and the world. I’ve been lucky to screen pro­jects for the past two years - There are Bun­nies on Fire in the For­est in 2021 and 100% USDA Cer­ti­fied Or­ganic Home­made Tofu - but being in New York in June of 2021, just as peo­ple were get­ting the Covid vac­cine and the world was slowly re­open­ing, was a fan­tas­tic ex­pe­ri­ence. This was the first major US fes­ti­val to go back to an in-per­son edi­tion, and being able to gather with friends again made us all so happy to be alive and to­gether.
Do you plan to go back to Cat­alo­nia?
Ab­solutely! If there was a chance to work on an in­ter­est­ing pro­ject or for an in­ter­est­ing com­pany, I’d be back in a heart­beat! There’s no place like home!

Los An­ge­les United States

Some Suggestions

Where are the best places to stay?
If you like the beach, Santa Monica is a good choice, and it feels more Mediterranean than the rest of LA. Personally, I usually recommend West Hollywood, as it’s a walkable neighbourhood with lots to do and is very centrally located.
What do you consider the highlights for any brief visit for the first time?
Santa Monica, Venice Beach and the Venice Canals are a must, and then some of the more touristy areas like Hollywood and the Walk of Fame – which I personally think is terrible – and Beverly Hills. If you want to do something special, I would suggest going to a sporting event(baseball or basketball), catch a movie or a concert.
And if visitors have more time or make a return visit?
If visitors have more time I would suggest they rent a car and explore everything Southern California has to offer – San Diego, Santa Barbara, Palm Springs are all within a three-hour drive.
Are there any places to avoid at all costs?
I’d say the general Hollywood area, although if you’ve never been to the Walk of Fame you should go for like five minutes, just to cross it off your bucket list. And in general, I’d recommend people be aware of their surroundings wherever they are – Los Angeles is probably more unsafe than the majority of cities in Catalonia.
Can you recommend a place to have lunch with friends?
So much to choose from! For a centrally located spot with California flare and good vibes, Great White in the Larchmont Village. For ramen, Slurpin’ Ramen or Silverlake Ramen. For Korean tofu stew, Surawon Tofu House. And for some Old Hollywood glamour, the Cabana Cafe at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
And for a special dinner for two?
Openaire at the Line Hotel is a great spot. The restaurant is inside a greenhouse, but there is also outdoor seating.
When is the best time of year to visit?
I’d say sometime in May or June. July and August are super busy, and September is the hottest month of the year in Los Angeles.
What is the area’s best kept secret?
I don’t know if it’s a secret, but Los Angeles is surrounded by some many different landscapes just a “short” drive away: There’s the ocean, mountains (where you can even ski in the winter), arid desert, dunes…
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