This Wednesday was the opening reception of IberoDocs, the Ibero-American Documentary Film Festival of Scotland, and for the fourth year running, we met to celebrate. Every year we feel more and more like an expanding family, as the Festival grows with each documentary that gets screened.
This big celebration was accompanied by the music of Broken Witch, an alternative folk band formed by Carlos Jokin Etxeberrìa, Liam Tucker, and Carlos Donaire. A great way to start the night at the Traverse Theatre Bar.
As we headed in for the first screening, a group of Castellers surprised us halfway. We were invited to join this human pyramid to make it grow even taller, to stand shoulder to shoulder with people of other nationalities. It was a tribute to Catalonia, but also an action which reflected the spirit of IberoDocs, which encourages the understanding of migration and stimulates cultural and social integration.
When we arrived at the Filmhouse, the festival opened with ‘Ada for Mayor’, a film about Ada Colau, a well-known activist against evictions in Spain, and her journey to eventually become the Mayor of Barcelona. In a Q&A session after the screening, the film’s director, Pau Faus, introduced us to Ada Colau’s story, the story of a woman politician who works in a way quite different to most of her colleagues. A woman full of energy and strong social convictions who shows that what once seemed impossible is about to become a reality.
‘Ada for Mayor’ is a film full of illusions, contradictions and an overarching message which says that it is possible to fight the political system, working hard from the streets to the Council! Ada for Mayor has started this Iberodocs festival on a high, and as we glance down the rest of the schedule, it looks like it’s going to stay that way. Congrats to them!
Photos: © IberoDocs / Jakub Parus
