Interview: Jesús Lloveras, director of La Corriente (Ibiza Blue)

Whenever I can film here again, I will. – Jesús Lloveras about filming in Ibiza.

We are launching a new section on our blog: The Ibiza Film Commission interviews!

With the aim of making visible the audiovisual work developed on the island, we will publish interviews with professionals from the Ibizan sector or, as in this case, with professionals who have chosen the island of Ibiza as a location to develop their work.

Today we interview Jesús Lloveras, director of La Corriente (Ibiza Blue), a film that is going around the world with admirable success.

Let’s start!

IFC: Good morning, Jesús, thank you very much for granting us this interview. First of all, we would like to know what the experience of filming your debut film in an environment as special as the island of Ibiza has been like.

JL: Marvelous! Ibiza is surely the most important island for me, since I have had ties with it since I was very little. My parents and grandparents had been coming to Ibiza for many years. They showed me that natural and magnetic side of the island (away from the party and the chaos) that everyone falls in love with.

That was precisely why I wanted to take advantage of that small window of time immediately after the covid-19 confinement to be able to capture it that way. My dear Ibizan friend, Ivan Rubio, did an extraordinary job as a cinematographer. The weather played in our favor in October 2020 and little by little everything turned out better than I could have imagined.

IFC: You set your film in August 2020, a few months after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. How do you think the pandemic has affected the younger generations?

JL: Not just the youngest… everyone in general has been affected. Luckily, I believe that human beings have an immense capacity for adaptation and improvement. We adapted well (and very quickly) to the covid era, and we have learned how to overcome it (and go back to normality) also very quickly. I think it has made us all more aware of how quickly things can change.

IFC: The film was presented for the first time at the Almería Film Festival in 2022 and in 2023 it went to the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Tell us how has been your experience like at both festivals and the audience’s response to the film.

JL: In Almeria we made a special presentation but the film’s festival circuit really began in Santa Barbara (USA), considered one of the best in North America. Since then we have been to 18 festivals, including the Miami Film Festival, Sedona Film Festival, Richmond Film Festival or Chelsea Film Festival (the latter also in the top 10 film festivals in North America), where we have won multiple awards for Best Cinematography, Best Actors and Best Film. The last award for Best Film came to us in New York on October 16th.

Wherever we go, the public has connected deeply with the story and characters of La Corriente (Ibiza Blue). Having that feedback from people from such different places is our best reward (and everyone wants to go on vacation to Ibiza).

IFC: What are your next projects in mind? Can you give us a preview of them?

JL: I am finishing outlining two scripts that I have almost finished, although both are very different stories from La Corriente (Ibiza Blue), they are more like a suspense/thriller story.

Anyway, I want to write a more intimate story. I’m still thinking about it, as soon as I have it clear, I will start writing it non-stop. I also have the promotion of another film I shot shortly after La Corriente (Ibiza Blue) waiting for me.

Lately I’ve been traveling with the La Corriente (Ibiza Blue) non-stop, so I think I also need to slow down a little and rest, before throwing myself into another project.

IFC: What do you think is special about Ibiza as a natural setting for shooting? Why would you recommend it to other production companies or creators?

JL: It certainly has a beautiful light. It has many beautiful and unknown natural spaces that can give spectacular value to any production. It also has a very beautiful particular architecture. Beyond that, the rocky landscapes, forests, beaches, etc. provide a diversity of wonderful colors and textures. Those are some facts to totally recommend and that only make your project go up.

IFC: And to finish the interview, do you plan to return to the island in any of your next projects?

Of course I will take it into account. It has been a beautiful experience and whenever I can film here again, I will. I don’t have any specific project for Ibiza, nor do I know if I will be able to show the island as we managed to do it with La Corriente (Ibiza Blue), but in any case, Ibiza will always be an option.

I want to take this opportunity to remember that La Corriente (Ibiza Blue) is now available on Amazon Prime Video, Filmin, FlixOlé, and also for rent on Film&Co.