There is no denying that our guest this week has been a pillar for the Spanish community in Sydney since her arrival in the early 90s. 

 However, her impact on multicultural awareness cuts across nationalities and labels. 

Dr. Natalia Ortiz is the founder and Director of the Spanish Film Festival in Australia and New Zealand, one of the largest Spanish Film Festivals in the world. 

 She is also the Director and Founder of SCHAA- The Spanish Cultural Heritage Association of Australia, a not-for-profit organisation that promotes the preservation of the Spanish cultural heritage in Australia. 

 Natalia is a filmmaker with a passion for questioning assumptions about identity formation, community building, and feelings of belonging.  

 In 2013 Natalia directed 'Memory' a short film dedicated to her mother. MEMORY won Best film at the Victoria Multicultural Film Festival (2019) which has also been screened internationally. 

Currently, Natalia is co-directing and co-producing a feature documentary, The brides' flight (Spain, Australia) produced with the support of RTVE-Radio y Televisión Española, Destino Films, and Desenfoque Post Producciones Digitales S.L. 
 
 She is also the convenor of Spanish Studies at the University of New South Wales. 
  

Natalia is such an inspiration for all of us and there was so much we wanted to talk to her about: 

•   Growing up in San Sebastian and her relationship with her mother, a very strong woman who defied stereotypes for her time working as a broadcaster during the Franco dictatorship.   
•  Natalia’s years as part of a community of filmmakers and artists living La Movida Madrileña in the 80s. 
• The emotional evolution of a migrant, initially being driven by a sense of freedom, exploration, and opportunities for growth and how over time these feelings become sadness, guilt, yearning, fear, and doubts. 
• What made her start the Spanish film festival and The Spanish Cultural Heritage Association of Australia
• Australia’s reaction to the festival and Spanish cinema 
• What is it that she loves about Spanish cinema?
• How have her children’s experience been growing up as Spanish Australians and how has she instilled in them a sense of cultural and familial identity? 
• What does being Australian mean to her? 
• What or where is home?
• The notion of “returning” for migrants and how very often the idea of going back to the mother land sits at the back of our minds but it ends up being just a disappointing fiction. 

 And a lot more because Natalia is a source of knowledge and a true joy to talk to.
Seriously, can't miss this episode!
 
You can find more info and Natalia's details from our website: https://www.tariexperiment.com/post/emotional-journey-migration-natalia-ortiz

Or listen to the episode on your favourite podcast platform.

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