29. DocsBarcelona

(Español en los comentarios)

Recently, I have written various articles for RelevantBCN, and I did an interview with Joan Gonzàlez the director of the international documentary festival DocsBarcelona, and so I felt like writing a bit more about this interesting festival of doumentaries.

DocsBarcelona is an international documentary festival created to generate a documentary culture in Catalonia and Spain. However the main focus and emphasis now is their spectators, and through the reality of their documentaries, there is something for everybody.

What is the concept of DocsBarcelona?

The concept of the festival is to make the documentaries known to the largest number of people possible. The concept is to take the books out of the monasteries and bring them down to the city, promoting documentaries.

 

How did the festival start?

The festival began as a festival only for professionals to learn how to produce documentaries as they were being produced in Europe in `96 /`97. This was the beginning, as it began as a training tool for professionals, a project market, and when we got to ten years we decided to start the festival for the spectator. 

 

This is the seventeenth edition of the festival, so how has the festival changed over the years?
The main change in the festival is that it began as a festival only for professionals, and now the most important part is the audience, whilst still being an important part of the documentary industry. But it brings to the majority of citizens a documentary festival, with the specific idea that it's a festival of documentaries. It is the most important in Spain because it brings together two parts, the part of the films with their directors and spectators, and the part of the directors, producers and projects who come for funding. The transformation has resulted in a festival which is not only becomes bigger each year but also attracts more and more viewers.

To read the rest of this inspiring interview read my article, DocsBarcelona.

This festival is a great way to delve into the documentary world and to approach subjects and themes that you may have never thought about before. This event will be running from May 26th to June 1st so check out their website or follow them on twitter to keep up to date on the daily info. Finally if your worried about the language barrier don't be, 90% of the documentaries showing will display English subtitles and the experience will be worth every cent.

28. Museums and Colour

My last post was over two weeks ago and it’s fair to say it has been nothing but non-stop, with a number of flights, a few visitors and a lot of colour.

When I got back from Marrakesh, I was definitely tired of the airport, so it has been nice to stay in Barcelona for a few weeks. Not only that, but I brought my lovely father back with me and therefore there has been many family outings, one of which was to Castelldefells, a lovely beach outside of Barcelona.  Also, one of my friends came to visit me, and with his style, he was full of energy, so for a week I felt like a tourist myself, showing him all the main attractions, but one I will never fail to enjoy is Los Fuentes de Montjuic, every time I see it, I realise why I love Barcelona as a city.

In regards to this blog title, I went to Els Museus del Nits (Museums at Night) which I have been too/worked at in the UK and so it was a nice change to see how they do it over here in Spain. We opted to see the Caixaforum gallery and the Joan Miró, and seeing the galleries at night definitely makes a difference.  However, I can say that the Joan Miró was definitely my favourite; due to the fact his permanent exhibition work was an eye opener as I´ve never been one for contemporary art, but when I read more into the reasoning’s behind his artwork and so, I was definitely amazed. I am glad I finally got to go to the gallery, seen as I have tried to go various times, but once I got lost and by the time me and my friend got there, it was closed. But it was worth the wait.

Alongside a night full of culture, I took part in the 5k Colo(u)r Run, which was very fun indeed. Although it was only 5k, so not the most challenging of runs, it had a great atmosphere and getting colour thrown at you can also be quite fun. It was also a nice route around Barcelona, with nice great views, and as usual I ended up having more photos of the scenery than the race itself. Luckily, this time was a bit easier to wash the colour out of my hair, unlike Holi, which meant I had green in my hair for at least a few days. So if you are ever in Barcelona around this time of year, it is something I would recommend taking part in, although there are many Color run´s around Europe also.

At the moment, I have also been very busy with work as its coming up to summer, so here´s the link to the articles on exhibitions etc that I have written about so far: RelevantBCN

 

27. Marrakech

This time last week I was in Marrakesh in Morocco and it was definitely and eye opener for me. From only having been within Europe and a few times to the Caribbean, there was definitely an immediate culture shock, yet it was a shock I am now glad I have experiences.

Obviously, Morocco is part of Africa, and in comparison to Europe it has a completely different way of life and religion. However, something that surprised me is that the people there speak both Arabic and French, but both equal amounts, which was useful as my I can say a few words in French, although my Arabic knowledge is nonexistent. A few things for me that I found very different to the way of life here in Europe, is that pedestrians do not have right of way, and therefore attempting to cross a road is a bit of a challenge, although zebra crossings do exist, despite the fact that the majority of them don´t actually lead anywhere. Another notable difference is the fact you have the haggle for everything, which actually made me appreciate fixed prices, so that I can look for what I want in peace. Although, a few times it can be a joke with you and the shopkeeper. Finally, when I first arrived in Morocco I was surprised as from the outside there didn´t seem to be any grand parks or buildings, as I began to learn that all the beautiful hidden gems are inside, and therefore the quote ´never judges a book by its cover´ definitely comes into play there.

Minus the differences I have noted about Marrakesh and Europe, it was a really great trip and we managed to get around a fair bit. We went to the Majorelle gardens, Menira gardens and obviously the main square, even though many people led us the wrong way, we eventually got there. One of my favourite places we visited was the Photography Museum, as not only was the inside something to see, but the terrace had one of the best views of Marrakesh. We also went to the Museum of Marrakech which was like a labyrinth of art and The Medersa Ben Youssef, which

was an Islamic college and is named after the Almoravid sultan Ali ibn Yusuf, who expanded the city and its influence considerably.

While I was there I also managed to ride a camel and have a spa experience which included a traditional hamam. Not only that but we managed to haggle for some shoes from the suks and also  typically buy some argan oil that is endemic to Morocco and some Saffron spice, which is about triple the price in the UK. So, all in all it was a new experience for me, but I would definitely recommend Marrakesh as a city escape and I look forward to experiencing more places like this in the future.

Now I only have two months left in the wonderful city,
that is Barcelona, so it´s time to make the most of it.