Balomania

Fanatically dedicated to their outlawed craft, the baloeiros spend years glueing together tissue paper and creating incredible, multi-hued designs, often featuring portraits of their heroes. They compete against each other to build the biggest, most spectacular balloons. It’s a seriously macho world – and secretive too, because the baloeiros are pursued by the authorities, who see their activities as dangerous and criminal. Which makes it all the more surprising that a female filmmaker was able to enter their world. It took years for Danish-Spanish director Sissel Dargis Morell to gain their trust. But her doggedness paid off, and the result is gripping, spectacular and infectious.