A Family Memory: Aitana and the Generational Echo of Exile

Marina Alberti fears the erosion of memory. From early childhood she sensed her mother Aitana Alberti’s dread about a grandmother who once faced a looming memory loss, a fear tied to the revered writer María Teresa León. León, a central figure in the 27th Generation, was the life partner of poet Rafael Alberti until his passing in 1988. The fear of losing one’s memory, the brand of pain that comes with it, shapes a deep inner motive for the making of a first film. The director explains that this dread became a catalyst for her intimate project, a short film titled Aitana, which premiered in competition at Mostra. The film invites viewers to consider memory not merely as personal recall but as a lineage that travels across generations and across history. It frames memory as a collective responsibility that preserves identity, culture, and the lived experiences of a country through upheaval and exile. The emotional force driving the project is rooted in the notion that memory is a fragile thing—something that can slip away when the people we love and the ideals we hold dear begin to fade from sight. In that sense, the fear of memory loss becomes a powerful compass for the filmmaker’s creative journey.