- Its author, Óscar Jiménez, is a journalist who has decided to document the predecessor neighborhood of his current neighborhood: Campanar in Valencia.
- A total of eight projects have participated in the Humans Fest audiovisual creation laboratory, to which almost 60 applications were submitted.
- This second edition has had the participation of filmmakers such as Almudena Carracedo, Carlos Marqués-Marcet and Rafa Molés
The Humans Lab, the audiovisual creation laboratory launched by the International Film and Human Rights Festival of Valencia, Humans Fest, organized by the Foundation for Justice since 2009, has concluded its second edition with the announcement of the winning short film of its prize economic: Alcria, by Óscar Jiménez, a work that rescues the history of the disappeared Valencian hamlet El Pouet.
«It was my first experience in a lab. It was all about excitement, because these are my first steps into the professional world. It is a morale boost to know that my project, which I have been thinking about for so many years, is liked and can lead to something. This award, more than mine, belongs to all the residents of El Pouet, who are letting me tell the traumatic episode they experienced and are rescuing from the rubble all the archives of the village, which is, unfortunately, the only thing we have left of it», says Óscar Jiménez.
Specifically, this short film captures the neighborhood struggle in the late 90s to defend their houses and the historical heritage of the area (such as centuries-old farmhouses, water mills and an ancient medieval irrigation system) against the construction of large housing developments and different leisure complexes that now make up the current Campanar neighborhood.
To this end, its author, the journalist Oscar Jimenez, who grew up here, has been collecting archive material, including hours of broadcasts from community radio stations that followed these events. Likewise, his own neighbours have recovered images that have been provided to him to document this episode of resistance and loss for the people of Valencia.
The Humans Lab cash prize is one of the main novelties of this edition, which has been launched with the intention of supporting the script development phase. The selection was made by a professional jury from the audiovisual industry, who assessed the originality of the story, the defence of human rights and the viability of production.
TWO DAYS OF INTENSIVE MENTORING FOR EIGHT FILM PROJECTS
Humans Lab has received a total of 1,000 this year. 58 applications, among which have been selected eight projects. In addition to Alcria, by Óscar Jiménez (València), has been the case of The puppet, by Fran Menchón (Barcelona); Submarine, by Lucas Moro and Manuel Rosell (València); Moha, by Hugo Suárez (Seville); The white lentils, by Alicia Arnau (València); Pigs and mares, by Maria Ferradas (Valencia); I just saw a UFO, by Andrea Segarra (Benicarló, Castelló); and Balloons, by Mar Navarro Herráiz (Valencia).
«Film can be a nightmare and terrible, because it is very difficult to dedicate yourself to this. When they choose a project of yours, even if it is small and you have had it for a long time, it means that they are validating you and telling you «keep fighting because what you do is cool»,» says Fran Menchón after his experience at Humans Lab, who has been awarded at the Gaudí Awards for best short film and nominated for the Goya for a previous work called The bus.
These short films have been chosen for addressing issues that affect today's society from a human rights perspective, such as LGTBIQ+ rights, the fight against voracious urbanisation, historical memory, women's liberation in different generations, the reality of underage migrants in Spain and evictions, as well as media manipulation.
All of them have been able to enjoy, over two days, the master classes given by the director Almudena Carracedo and the director Carlos Marques-Marcet, who have also held a tutored session one-to-one with each of the projects. Added to this is the preparation session for the pitch offered by the director and producer Rafa Molés; a training that later served them to present themselves to the production companies Nadie es Perfecto, with Ana Ramón Rubio as their representative; Nakamura, with Óscar Bernácer as their representative; and Pau Martínez González, director, scriptwriter and producer.
ABOUT HUMANS FEST AND HUMANS LAB
Humans Fest is one of the main activities promoted by the Foundation for Justice with the aim of defending human rights and denouncing their violations around the world through cinema, a powerful tool and power to raise awareness. It is part of the international Human Rights Film Network.
Its 15th edition (2024), which includes the Humans Lab, is being held thanks to the collaboration of the Vice-Presidency and Department of Social Services, Equality and Housing, the Valencia Provincial Council, the Equality Department of the Valencia City Council, the Valencian Institute of Culture, Caixa Popular and Teika. For its part, the Valencian regional radio and television channel À Punt is the official medium of the festival.
In addition, the Humans Lab initiative also has the support of the Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA).