The actress and cultural manager represents the Association of Women Filmmakers and Audiovisual Media (CIMA) in the Canary Islands and celebrates the release of A una isla de ti.
Actress, filmmaker and cultural manager Aïda Ballmann, who was born on the island of El Hierro, has been appointed as the new regional representative of the Association of Women Filmmakers and Audiovisual Media (CIMA) in the Canary Islands. CIMA is one of Spain’s leading national organisations dedicated to promoting gender equality in the audiovisual industry.
Ballmann will take on this responsibility alongside deputy regional representative Arima León, an audiovisual director and producer. CIMA’s regional branches aim to address the specific needs and circumstances of each territory as part of the association’s wider efforts to achieve equal representation for women in the audiovisual industry.
“It is an honour to lead a group of women and professionals who are working towards equality in the industry. I wish this work were no longer necessary, but we still have to fight for equal opportunities so that we no longer have to work in precarious conditions when telling our stories through cinema,” says Ballmann.
The actress from El Hierro believes that cinema should represent society as a whole, pointing out that more than 50% of the population is female. In this regard, she emphasises the importance of having more women screenwriters, producers, camera operators, sound technicians, actresses and editors taking leading roles and participating in audiovisual productions, so that their stories are also represented on screen.
This appointment comes at a particularly busy time for Ballmann, who is also a member of the CIMA jury at the 25th edition of the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival, taking place from 23 April to 3 May.
At the same time, the actress is celebrating the recent cinema release of A una isla de ti, a film directed by Alexis Morante and shot entirely in the Canary Islands.
The film is a romantic comedy with an LGBTQ+ perspective that tells the story of Harry, a chef who has just been left at the altar. After accepting an invitation from his best friend to travel to Gran Canaria, he ends up falling in love not only with the island itself, but also with Iván, her father.
The cast is led by Freddie Dennis, Jaime Zatarain, Toni Acosta, Julia Martínez and Carlos González, alongside Canary Islands actors Horacio Colomé, Leticia Etala, Alba Goya and Aïda Ballmann herself. The film is produced by Morena Films and IPG Mediabrands Entertainment (Fuse Entertainment) and distributed by DeAPlaneta.
Regarding her experience on set, Ballmann says that comedy is a genre she approaches with “respect”, but one that particularly appeals to her. “It is by no means an easy genre to perform because, as an actress, you want to be funny, and that is precisely the mistake. You must not force it or try to be funny. Instead, the humour should emerge naturally by fully embracing the character’s misfortune and drama, with as much authenticity, truth and humanity as possible,” she explains.
Aïda Ballmann, whose family has German roots, heads the El Hierro Film Commission. As an actress, she has appeared in television series such as Malnombre, Operación Barrio Inglés, Una vida menos en Canarias, Crossfire, El tiempo entre costuras, Águila Roja, Lo que escondían sus ojos and Brigada de fenómenos, as well as feature films including A una isla de ti, The End of It, Un hombre tras un rifle, L’Àvia i el foraster, Atlánticas, Los europeos and The Extraordinary Tale, among other productions.
Throughout her career, she has been recognized with Best Actress awards at Film Bizarro, the Cardiff International Film Festival, Festivalito and the Leoncio Morales Awards, and has also received nominations from ASECAN and VIFA. She made her directorial debut with Sand Path, a documentary that screened at more than 50 film festivals, and also served as artistic director of the Insularia – Islas en Red Film Festival.
