A Shooting Star tells the story of Pep, the son of Ignasi Guerrero and Ágata Carreras, who was born with Down’s syndrome and heart disease. Pep died at only four months old, unable to overcome a complex heart operation. Seven years later, the family now feels ready to explain their story: the same story that so many other families and health workers have experienced and continue to experience, fighting for the lives of children in neonatal ICUs every single day.
Ignasi Guerrero, a former student of the Faculty of Communication Sciences is the co-director and protagonist of the documentary. He has been managing creative projects for more than fourteen years at the agency and production company Btcom, of which he is a co-founding partner. Arturo Méndiz, co-director and screenwriter, is a producer with more than 300 international awards, including a Palme d'Or in Cannes, three Goya Awards and an Oscar nomination.
In A Shooting Star embarks on an emotional journey as Ignasi tries to understand what was happening around him while he and Ágata were taking care of Pep. The documentary illustrates grief in a particular way from the family's perspective years later.
Ignasi Guerrero says that “no one prepares us to face the matter of death”, which is why he believes “it is a necessary and essential documentary to affirm the visibility of the families that have suffered these situations and the role of doctors and nurses who constantly work in the neonatal ICUs”.
The co-director and screenwriter of the documentary, Arturo Méndiz, explains that it was a great opportunity to highlight these situations. “It’s very hard to talk about the illness or death of a newborn, but at the same time it is very human and allows us to see how far we can go for our children.” The winner of three Goya Awards explained that it was a long process, almost six years of production, but it has also been a learning experience. “The documentary has helped me become more aware that everyone who has gone through a similar situation needs to be able to talk and communicate their pain.”
A total of eight former students of the University worked in the production: Ignasi Guerrero, Ágata Carreras, Lluis Carreras, Javi Carreras, Adrián Karpoukhina, Víctor Montilva, Pablo Gimeno and Guillem Carreras. Arturo Méndiz and Carme Raventós, lecturers of the Faculty of Communication Sciences, and Mariona Guerrero, coordinator of UIC Barcelona Cuides clinic and member of the WeCare Chair, also collaborated.
The documentary premiered as part of the 2024 International Documentary Film Festival of Barcelona (DocsBarcelona). The 27th edition of the festival takes place from 2 to 12 May in several cinemas in Barcelona.
