While his style is simplistic, making use of long, fixed-camera shots that reveal both the tensions and influences of his background in photography, Depardon's subject matters are more complex. Built on his belief that cinema is “an art with a purpose,” his films deal with politics, justice and the lives of ordinary people all over the world, from inner-city Paris to sub-Saharan Africa and beyond. In collaboration with the Institut Français de Barcelone, this year’s L’Alternativa film festival pays homage to Depardon with screenings of six of his documentaries. Beginning with his 1981 feature Reporters and leading up to the recent Profils paysans series, the program spans three decades and provides a varied overview of the prolific artist's compassionate and insightful work.
Founded in 1992, L’Alternativa has endeavored to bring the best of independent film to Barcelona for seventeen years now, showcasing adventurous, creative cinema that never ceases to shock and surprise its spectators. This year's official selection shows us Hanoi through the eyes of a 6-year-old boy in Phan Dang Di's Bi, dung so!, life in rural Chile in Alejando Fernández Alemandra's Huacho, and much more. After a summer of unimaginative sequels and second-rate remakes, the festival provides a welcome alternative to mainstream cinema, and a great way to round off what has otherwise been a B-rated year for movies.
Nov 12–20, CCCB. C/ Montalegre (Raval)
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