The Documentary

A professional and personal overview of the figure Jaume Mateu, better known as Tortell Poltrona, and his unique way of understanding the world. Stemming from the aesthetic and conceptual rupture that occurred in the performing arts following the end of the dictatorship, Jaume Mateu emerges with a revolutionary idea of clowning and a conception of the circus that sharply contrasts with the prevailing darkness of the time. Manel Joseph, Lluís Pasqual, Jordi Jané, Rosa Mª Malet, among many others, explain the evolution of the clown and the man behind it, committed to society, and founder of the NGO Clowns Without Borders.

Synopsis

Jaume Mateu, better known as ´Tortell Poltrona´, is an international icon and a reference in the world of clowning, as evidenced by numerous awards and, especially, the thousands of faithful spectators who admire his work year after year.

In the 1970s, the aesthetics of the entertainment world changed radically, coinciding with the political changes occurring in Europe and, especially in Spain, where a regime change was taking place. New standards, risky staging, and great professionalism were applied, quickly capturing new audiences. Catalonia was filled with innovative and daring proposals in music, dance, theater, street performances. The circus, devalued and distant from popular culture, returned to its roots with proposals like those of Tortell Poltrona, who also offered a show entirely in Catalan.

How Jaume Mateu becomes Tortell Poltrona, the character that made him famous, is explained by people who have collaborated or still do. With each interviewee, we get closer to the character and the man behind it. We discover, for example, that he inherited the clown nose from Charlie Rivel himself, a symbol with which the old clown declared him his heir.

Jaume Mateu is also the founder and President of Clowns Without Borders, which, in twenty-three years of existence, has performed more than 22,000 shows worldwide in refugee camps or areas in conflict.

Today, the circus, as Jaume Mateu or Tortell Poltrona understands it, has established itself in our homes. This idea materializes at Circ Cric, established in Montseny, as a reference point; a center for work, research, and interdisciplinary experimentation where circus, music, theater, and dance merge. Circ Cric has fostered up to four generations of enthusiastic audiences. An audience that loves quality circus and fills the tent every time it opens for a new performance.