BARCELONA ISSUE 41 Dec 2005

During October, Barcelona was host to two events concerning a genre seldom seen on our screens but which is proving to be the Catalan audiovisual sector's most popular and prestigious field: documentary. Medimed and Docs Barcelona have brought together dozens of projects that emphasize the perspective of a type of production midway between fiction and fact, and have become an attraction at A-grade festivals such as San Sebastian. La doble vida del faquir, by Elisabet Cabeza and Esteve Riambau, Joaquim Jordà's Veinte años no es nada, and Aguaviva, by Ariadna Pujol are just a few examples of this new kind of production.Growing international renown has been acknowledged by sources outside our borders, such as the trade magazine Variety, which, in a recent feature report on Catalonia, stated: “From 2002 to 2004, the region produced 91 films. A Catalan revival has begun in earnest.”