COLLECTABLE STORIES: Why Did You Come Back Every Summer

Why Did You Come Back Every Summer
Short Talk with Juli Suàrez (director)
BEST SHORT FICTION FILM Category
22nd IN THE PALACE International Short Film Festival 2025
Spain, Fiction, Spanish, 00:18:31, 2024
Synopsis: Based on the worldwide bestseller of the same name written by Belén López Peiró, the short film shows Lucía (alter ego of the author of the book), a 22-year-old student, who reveals the abuse she suffered as a child. A trip to the town of her childhood will be the beginning of a process of resilience, but the silence and family hypocrisy she will encounter will be her greatest obstacle.
Biography: Juli Suárez is a filmmaker. Producer and screenwriter. Graduated in audiovisual communication and creative documentary film at the ERAM-University of Girona. And he has completed his audiovisual training in different referential seminars with Abbas Kiarostami, Patricio Guzmán, Asghar Farhadi and Isabel Coixet. He is the founder of the production company LGC Films, based in Banyoles (Spain).
Juli Suàrez, director
Toma Manov: When you read Belén’s book, you started researching intrafamilial abuse. Can you tell us more about how that led to the making of this film?
Juli Suàrez: After reading Belén’s book, he conducted research on abuse within the family nucleus. The results showed that 80% of abuse happens within the family core. So I spoke with Belén, and we agreed to make a short film based on her work to raise public awareness about these situations.
Toma Manov: The film carries such a powerful message. Was there anything you wanted to do differently on screen compared to what was in the book?
Juli Suàrez: When we discussed the adaptation with Belén, we decided to center the film around what they felt was most important: the silence within the family. For Belén, the silence is what allows these things to continue happening.
Toma Manov: Would you say one of the key messages is that words are stronger than physical power?
Juli Suàrez: Yes, speaking up is the first step toward healing and resilience.
Interviewer: Toma Manov
Editor: Martin Kudlac