Our office will be closed for the summer holidays from 3 August to 23 August.
During this time, we’ll be taking a short break to recharge before returning with new projects and more stories to share.
We will resume our regular activities on 24 August. We will respond to all messages and enquiries upon our return.
Wishing you a wonderful summer!
UNICORN: Breaking the Law Is Our Business entered production this June with filming taking place in Paris, Barcelona, and Berlin, marking a new stage for this investigative documentary about the power of major technology platforms and their impact on our cities.
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This year, Polar Star Films, in collaboration with the creative agency Flott Projects, was commissioned to conceive and produce the presentation film for the recipient of the 2026 Ankh Award, the most prestigious individual honor in the global copper industry. (more…)
The series Ets i uts has begun production on its second season in collaboration with Estudi Sec, further strengthening its commitment to an innovative format that combines education, entertainment, and reflection on the Catalan language. (more…)
The documentary Understory (formerly known as Seeing Green) continues to move forward in production and is preparing to enter a key new phase: post-production. (more…)
The 2026 edition of DocsBarcelona Pro, the industry platform of the DocsBarcelona festival, once again brought together non-fiction professionals from around the world in Barcelona. At Polar Star Films, we were delighted to take part in this year’s edition not only as producers, but also by contributing to the evaluation and development of new documentary projects.
Our producer Marieke van den Bersselaar served on the jury for the ARTE European Talent Development Award, while Carles Brugueras participated as a jury member for the DocsBarcelona Campus Pitch, a program dedicated to supporting emerging documentary voices.
The DocsBarcelona Pro Awards ceremony recognized some of the most outstanding projects of the edition. Crossed received the 3Cat Award for Best Project, worth €15,000 and considered the platform’s highest-value award. Meanwhile, My Sister Gaza won both the ARTE Award and the Al Jazeera Award, each endowed with €10,000.
We congratulate all the selected and awarded projects for contributing to the vitality and diversity of contemporary documentary filmmaking.
We would also like to congratulate the winners of the 2026 ProDocs Awards, presented during the festival as part of the 15th anniversary celebrations of ProDocs, the Catalan documentary producers’ association.
This year, the feature documentary Dios lo ve, produced by Hic&Nunc and centered on renowned architect Óscar Tusquets, received the Best Television Documentary Award. The Best Television Series Award went to Els herois de Vandellòs, produced by Minoria Absoluta, which reconstructs the management of the serious nuclear incident that took place at the Catalan power plant in 1989.
We are especially proud that Infiltrats, a production by La Directa and Polar Star Films for the special edition of 30 minuts on 3Cat, was a finalist in this year’s ProDocs Awards.
👉 If you have not seen it yet, Infiltrats is available to watch on the 3Cat platform.
👉 Discover all the award-winning projects from DocsBarcelona Pro 2026.
We are delighted to announce that the final episodes of the transmedia series Ets i uts will premiere on the 3Cat platform and on YouTube on January 17, 2026. We also remind you that you can already watch Ets i uts, which premiered in September on the platforms and later within the framework of Serielizados.
“‘Ets i Uts’ returns to fight fascism and expats,” writes Laia Carpio in the Diari de Barcelona.
The metaseries —a series within a series— follows the story of Roger (Marc Tarrida), who embarks on an adventure with his aunt (Mònica Glaenzel, playing herself) to film a documentary across Catalonia about the Catalan language. Each episode includes a complementary short report, available on Instagram and TikTok, as well as a one-hour interview, also on YouTube:
With this innovative format, Ets i uts combines outreach, entertainment, and reflection on the future of the Catalan language, showcasing its vitality through multiple perspectives and platforms.
A 3Cat production with the collaboration of Polar Star Films and SEC Estudi, and with the support of the Catalan Government’s Department of Culture through ICEC. Created by SEC Estudi: Josep Feliu Sánchez, Joan Coll and Kevin Domínguez Álvarez. A cross-platform EVA format with presence on YouTube, Instagram and the 3Cat platform, blending humor, language, and television with a contemporary perspective.
We are immensely happy to announce that Mums (Mares) has been nominated for the Gaudí Award for Best Documentary Film, a recognition that celebrates not only the cinematic work but also the courage, tenderness, and honesty that run through this story.
Anna (41) and Ari (32) want to become mothers. What initially seemed like a straightforward path soon transforms into a complex medical, physical, and emotional journey that puts the couple’s limits to the test.
For more than four years, Ari captures with her camera the ups and downs of a process filled with hope and frustration, laughter and tears, expectation and disappointment. And through it all, Anna and Ari never lose their sense of humour.
Mums is a transgenerational film that invites us to reflect on the consequences of postponing motherhood, while highlighting love, care, and the bonds that sustain us—especially when things get difficult.
The Gaudí nomination adds to a celebrated international trajectory that includes:
To Anna and Ari for their generosity and courage.
To the teams who have supported this film at every stage.
And to the audiences, for embracing this story with such emotion.
We continue celebrating and sharing Mums, now more than ever.
We are delighted to share that BALOMANIA, the documentary film by Sissel Morell Dargis, has been awarded the Laie Dart International Award.
In the words of the jury:
The film combines a deeply personal and emotional dimension with a collective and political perspective. With an approach rooted in visual anthropology, it reveals a Brazilian cultural practice as an art form connected to community and cultural identity. The rare access to an underground, exclusively male world, together with a clear and immersive structure, builds a suspenseful narrative that explores rebellion, social inequality, and the sense of belonging.
Balomania reveals a secret society of hot air balloon makers in the favelas of Brazil, willing to risk everything to launch their illegal creations—some reaching up to 70 meters high—powered by fireworks. The film takes us on a surreal and intimate journey through a country grappling with socioeconomic decline and political collapse. It challenges our preconceived notions about favela communities and highlights the true power of art.
Selected and awarded at more than 40 festivals and competitions worldwide, Balomania continues to expand its international trajectory. Follow @balomaniaworld on Instagram to stay up to date.
We are excited to present “Ets i uts”, the new cross-platform creation born from the collaboration between SEC Estudi and Polar Star Films.
Roger Garcia and his aunt, Mònica Glaenzel, set off on a journey across Catalonia with the goal of saving the Catalan language through 20 reports about it. The project, which Roger managed to bring to 3Cat, relies on Mònica’s television experience (and her van!) to make it possible.
Along the way, unique characters and surreal situations will test their bond, until they discover that the true value of “Ets i uts” is not in material things, but in the journey they share.
An innovative project that blends humor, language, and television with a contemporary outlook. [Learn more](link to page).
A creation by SEC Estudi, conceived by Josep Feliu Sánchez, Joan Coll and Kevin Domínguez Álvarez, and produced by Polar Star Films. A cross-platform EVA format with presence on YouTube, Instagram and the 3Cat platform, mixing humor, language, and television with a contemporary perspective.
#EtsiUtsEVA #SomEVA
Infiltrats, the current affairs investigation that revealed the patterns, impacts, and mistakes of police infiltration operations in various social movements in Catalonia and beyond, is the most-watched of the “30 minuts” series. With over 363,000 accumulated views, the programme, based on years of investigation by La Directa, is the most-watched in the history of the slot on the 3cat digital platform.
In early 2020, at least four officers from the National Police infiltrated various social movements in the Catalan Countries. Under false identities, María Perelló arrives in Girona, Ramón Martínez in Valencia, and Daniel Hernández and Marc Hernández in Barcelona. All four are part of the 33rd class of the Ávila Police Academy and operate under the orders of the General Commissariat of Information. Two years later, a journalistic investigation by the Directa reveals the real identities and backgrounds of these officers.
At Polar Star Films, we love a creative challenge—and our recent collaboration with Brook Agency and Job Today delivered exactly that.
The brief? Craft a visually compelling advert set inside a space capsule orbiting Earth. The team knew that pulling off this sci-fi concept using traditional methods would have meant complex logistics, a big effects budget, and an even bigger post-production timeline. But where others might have seen obstacles, our team saw a chance to innovate.
Directed by Lluis Torra and with creative direction by Maria Cañadas, the production embraced the potential of real-time virtual filmmaking—an approach popularized by projects like The Mandalorian through the use of Stagecraft technology. While we worked on a smaller scale, the concept remained the same: build immersive environments using a high-resolution LED wall or cyclorama that can respond dynamically to camera movement and lighting, all in real time.
This approach allowed us to create the illusion of a space capsule floating through the stars—without ever leaving the soundstage. It also gave our performers and director immediate visual feedback, helping shape performances and shots organically during production rather than in post.
The results speak for themselves: slick, atmospheric visuals that place the viewer right inside the capsule. And, just as importantly, we were able to streamline the production process while keeping creative control in the hands of the team from start to finish.
Already making waves on social media, the spots are set to hit national television this autumn. Curious to see how we did it?
👉 [Watch a sneak peek here]
