Barcelona

Documentary | 2017 | HD | 44 minutes

After Paris, Barcelona is the most densely populated metropolis in Europe. In addition, there are more than seven million tourists every year. What makes the capital of Catalonia a cult metropolis? Not only its location on the Mediterranean, but also its ability to integrate opposites; old and new, dynamic and relaxed, postmodern and traditional.
 
The film meets people who give their face to Catalonia's capital and stand for their attitude to life. The constant change of Barcelona is visible at the Sagrada Familia. For more than 130 years, Antoni Gaudí's basilica has been built. The architect Marta Miralpeix and her team are now moving the completion of the artwork within reach. Gaudí's 100th anniversary in 2026 will be completed thanks to new technologies.
On the long city beach of Barceloneta the French draftsman Lapin fills his sketchbook. He has chosen Barcelona as his home of choice, and on his forays he finds old-established Barcelonians and their knowledge of the city.
For centuries, life in Barcelona has always meant survival, in the fight against invaders, crippling trade restrictions and "state bullying" by central Madrid. At least that's what the "Castellers" from the Poble-Nou district tell the film in their preparations for the Menschen-Turmbau competition.
The artist Jorge Gerada rattles with his actions to taboos. With spray cans he beams an oversized photo from the Civil War on the paving of the city center to keep the past alive.
In the think tank "Fablab" Anastasia Pistofidou wants to promote the artificial intelligence of fabrics. Her new bodysuit measures the tension of a dancer and translates her movement into music.
"For me, the sea is like a travel agency, it has changed my life and brought me to where I am today," says former refugee Soly Malamine. Barcelona became a lifeboat for him. Today, the Senegalese chef is a restaurant that trains refugees for gastronomy.