SECTIONS // OVERVIEW OF THE SPANISH DOCUMENTARY

EIN PAPAGEI IM EISCAFÉ (PARROT AT THE MILKBAR)

Ines Thomsen
80' / 2013 / Germany, Spain
Spanish, Catalan, Darija, Punjabi, Urdú
Spanish subtitled

The infamous El Raval quarter, with its narrow lanes full of dark figures, lies in the middle of Barcelona, in the Old Town. Where earlier, sailors shared the cheap little flats with working families, migrants from all over the world now characterise the area.

In the small alleys their little barbershops lie side by side. The businesses cater for parallel societies and have little contact with one another. Whoever enters apparently leaves Spain behind to plunge into a safe place of familiar rituals and memories of home. The barbers live from their regular customers and their almost pastoral ability to constantly talk about everything and nothing, or remain silent.

The film tells of four hairdressers and their customers in El Raval, four small, strange time and space capsules of people who left their home to find a better one, while the Spaniards are about to leave their own country themselves.

Main Festivals & Awards

Docs Barcelona

Director's Biography

Ines Thomsen studied cinematography at the Film and Television University HFF 'Konrad Wolf' Potsdam Babelsberg/Germany and at the filmschool ESCAC Barcelona/Spain. Since 2002 she works as a freelance cinematographer and produced now as a director her second long documentary film after several short films. She lives in Berlin.

Tweet