Albert Solé – Master Movie Maker and True Journalist

Nominated for countless awards, including two Goyas and over 60 international awards among them several Spanish academy awards, Albert Solé is a Spanish journalist and filmmaker, with his own production company called Minimal Films, working mostly in the documentary industry. Albert has worked his way through the industry for multiple decades, which gives him the freedom to choose his topics and genres of filmmaking to fit his interests. Depending on his mood and what he is living through, he chooses his style and topics. However, he specializes in international crises and geopolitical issues, always zeroing in on topics that are exceptionally difficult to translate onto the screen.

Often, Albert finds himself filming violent, gruesome, and overall disturbing events. How does being so deeply involved in tragedies affect him personally and professionally? "I have to say that at the beginning when I started doing this, I didn’t feel so sensitive to the issues. I was told incredible stories—sometimes they were very tough—but I had a kind of journalistic distance to the characters." He says that it might be a matter of age, but he is becoming more and more sensitive now. There are certain stories that are very hard for him to listen to. He has come to realize that the emotional wellness of journalists should be taken into consideration more, considering their constant exposure to tragedies. "Because it is not always easy to go into these places, listen to these stories, etc." For him, the process of creating also becomes much more challenging when it is emotionally straining. Interestingly, he cannot predict which issues will affect him the most personally. On paper, some topics don’t seem as hard as others he has covered, but somehow, they still impact him deeply. He speculates that his personal way of life, especially after having a daughter, has influenced his sensitivities. He finds it particularly troublesome to cover topics that involve minors. "They come directly to my heart."

The most difficult documentary for him to produce was Examen de Conciencia, which examined paedophilia and child abuse in the Catholic Church. Several factors made the production extremely difficult, one of the most significant being empathy. "I was suffering with the victims." Other obstacles they encountered included threats and blackmail. "I remember it as particularly difficult."

He used to be a reporter and journalist for the media, where he learned a very valuable skill for his career—he learned to be quick, highly aware, and always to think about whether there is a hidden story somewhere. Choosing a story for him is a very risky decision because he commits to investing the next two or more years of his life in investigating and filming it. "If the story doesn’t work, you are wasting time, so you have to be very sure and very passionate about what story you are going to tell." Through his many years in the industry, he has developed a very reliable instinct for what works and what doesn’t. But he himself admits that it is not foolproof, and that failure is sometimes inevitable since some stories turn out to have been just fashionable at the time.

One of his documentaries was set in Syria, where he spent a lot of time filming while ISIS was there, and all of a sudden, the Ukraine war broke out, and the entire media focus shifted towards it. "There was no more interest in Syrian stories." However, in light of recent events, he says Syrian news will take the lead again. "It is always hard to understand which is going to be the place that focus is going to put on, and that is a matter of instinct." And in my opinion, luck—although I haven’t developed my instinct extensively yet.

His success in the filmmaking industry heavily relies on his previous experiences and collected knowledge as a journalist—not only in the way he approaches issues, which is obviously important, but also when dealing with legal and moral dilemmas. "The moral dimension of every topic is very important." This is because, before Albert starts shooting anything with a camera, he has to ask himself a lot of questions, such as: "What do I think about this character? About this issue? What are my limits? What is my moral framework?" Asking these questions is very important for him, and he advises anyone expecting to become a journalist to do the same.

He shifted his career from journalism to filmmaking because, at a certain point in his life, he discovered that, as a journalist, he was not provided with enough time to tell the stories he wanted to. A daily newspaper page or short reports for TV were not enough—he needed more time and the ability to go beyond the framework of conventional TV channels. He also wanted his work not only to have the brief lifespan of being broadcast on the news but also to have an afterlife in movie theatres and film festivals. He wanted to extend his reach to a much wider audience.

Even though he now has the freedom to choose his topics, he is still constrained in many ways. "I can’t make a documentary about whales in Alaska because it is difficult—almost impossible—to find resources and money to create it." It all comes down to what will spark the interest of investors. "Who are you talking to? Who will it interest?" These self-reflective questions are integral when choosing any topic.

Many times, while producing and pursuing a story, Albert has found himself in dangerous situations—not only in war zones but also dealing with and filming smugglers, the mafia, or even paedophiles. "You get threatened. Sometimes you have to go to a police station." He also emphasizes that going to the police is not automatically a good idea since, in certain countries, they might be corrupt and involved. "You have to be aware of where you are, what the rules of the place are, who the key players are, and who is who. That’s very important—as well as always having an alliance wherever you go."

Dealing with threats is extremely difficult, and Albert handles them in different ways. If he can trust the police, he goes to them; otherwise, he simply flees. If he is in a country at war or one where he doesn’t know the people, he has to analyse the situation and find a safe place to take shelter.

Albert grew up in a very unconventional situation. He was born in exile, and his parents were anti-Francoist fighters. At the time, they were activists in the anti-fascist movement in Spain. His father, Jordi Solé, later became one of the co-authors and "fathers" of the Spanish Constitution of 1978, following Spain's transition to democracy. "All my childhood was linked to political events, so I have a lot of politics inside me," Albert says, explaining his choice of heavily political subjects throughout his career.

His career has also been influenced by filmmakers and films. The movie Spotlight, which uncovered the investigative work journalists did on clergy child abuse in Boston, in his opinion, "opened a big gate for all of us, investigators." He also admires documentary creators Nicolas Philibert and Frederick Wiseman, describing them as "masters of observational documentaries."

In the future, Albert fears and predicts that AI will steal a lot of jobs in his industry. "More and more, it will be done by machines, so yes, it will transform completely." He also believes AI could take over human creativity in this field. "Now the fight is about what AI produces, not about whether it does." This can be dangerous since movies and media have the power to change people’s minds. "It is frightening, but it is something you have to be aware of." He emphasizes the importance of not leaving this power in irresponsible hands.

Journalism, he says, will be affected in similar ways. "Journalism as we knew it is dying, and a new way of journalism is coming." He predicts that journalism will become less about reporting and more about interpreting events.

Talking so extensively to Albert Solé was not only fascinating but deeply informative for me as someone who wants to get into the journalism industry. I have learned a lot from and about him. I truly believe that, at his core, Albert is a curious soul who "knows something about everything." He describes journalism as "you get paid to put your nose into everything." I think that is exactly what he was destined to do. He is a true, honest, and curious journalist—and for me, somewhat of a role model.