Relevant BCN - Music, Arts & Events by Creative People in Barcelona

You could be forgiven for thinking that to make a successful film these days you need a $220m budget and Samuel L. Jackson to unite all the world’s most fanciful superheroes to repel an alien invasion. Cinema has, perhaps more so even than music, become a commercial business and unless you can guarantee action for the popcorn-munching hordes, it can be difficult to secure a screening. This is where initiatives like CityScreen come in, grassroots movements like this focus on cultivation of organic cinematic production, tilling the earth to dig up fresh talent.

For ten years CityScreen has been a platform for showcasing raw video in unconventional spaces within the city of Barcelona. The majority of these, naturally, will be taking place in El Raval, for many the creative heart of Barcelona. Though the barrio has come a long way from the seedy neighbourhood of child snatching Enriqueta Marti, it has still managed to maintain the sordid squalor that makes it so charming. Inevitably such areas are a hotbed of creativity. It is somewhat fitting therefore that this event will not be shown at the swanky IMAX cinema in the redeveloped Port Vell. Instead, according to the project’s facebook page, “the selected works will be presented throughout the city in spaces which are not necessarily art venues, such as shops, alternative areas and bars”, ensuring some suitably bohemian settings.

The festival runs from 26th May until 2nd June, which gives plenty of scope for chance encounters of film premiers for those of you inclined to wandering the city. For those who would rather not be so surprised the full event listings can be found at http://www.screen-barcelona.com/webapp/seeall. Happy film hunting!