STANDING ITS GROUNDSTANDING ITS GROUND
We live in comfortable societies full of mortgages and construction cranes and an insatiable appetite for destroying the countryside, other beings, even life itself... And if there's one thing these societies need it's dogged persistence in pursuit of the truth and resolute firmness to the very values this destructive machinery seeks to deny. These values include respect for diversity, creativity and difference.
What we have to fight tooth and nail is fear created by the structures of power - in today's world 'companies' who only understand the language of increased profits - and the accompanying media circus.
It's vital to keep open channels and spaces for freedom. It's like trying to stop a row of trees being cut down because the authorities have decided to extend an underground station.
Since we're old enough to award authority to other people, to delegate what to do with our lives to others, at least let's not give up any of the small pockets of freedom we've got left. We have to stand our ground.
All filmmaking that's not manipulated by the system and its minions is filmmaking that resists. Paradoxically - with seven feature films under my belt - I can assure you that it's easier to make a film than get it properly screened: there's always someone who decides what people can or can't see.
How welcome, then, the bursts of fresh air like l'Alternativa! 13 already!
Let's keep these spaces, enjoy the images and compare ideas. And let's not forget that the Ratzingers of this world aren't the slightest bit interested in tolerance; far better to focus our attention on the Dali Lamas, Indians and our next-door neighbours.
Lluís Miñarro — Producer