The participation in TanjaZoom was the prize awarded by the jury of BcnZoom, a short film festival carried out jointly by the Casal dels Infants and the Consell de la Joventut de Barcelona. The BcnZoom awarded the short “Un Instant” carried out within the framework of Ciutat Esperança, an elParlante project in collaboration with the Community Plan of Ciutat Meridiana and the support of the Department of Community Action of the Barcelona City Council.
The group enjoyed five days in the Moroccan city of Tangier, discovering the town as well as participating in the festive, social and youth atmosphere of the TanjaZoom Social Film Festival. This event values and rewards the educational, social and cultural work carried out by youth associations of the Beni Makada neighborhood.
The activities included in the framework of the festival included workshops on writing documentary scripts, soundtrack creation and animation. The Parlante and the Meridiana City Community Plan group also energized some of the workshops by performing games and theatrical actions.
The short films of the festival were projected at the Cinémathèque de Tangier (Cine Rif), a meeting place and cultural exchange for participants, visitors and professionals from the sector. The audiovisual productions dealt with social themes that led to conversations and debates throughout the week.
This trip is an unforgettable experience for all of us who have the opportunity to attend the festival. One of the most surprising moments was when the TanjaZoom organizers informed us that they would not project the “One Moment” short because it had not passed the cultural visa. The boys and girls’ first reaction was one of sadness and disappointment, but they quickly adapted to the situation and tried to understand the reasons for that decision.
The cultural visa is the approval given to audiovisual productions considered suitable for screening in Morocco. The Department of Culture did not approve of the “A Moment” shortcut because it included explicit images of people kissing or having sexual relations. This allowed us to put into practice interculturality, respect for other cultures and values as well as the norms of the country in which we found ourselves. After an initial feeling of disappointment, the young people understood the political, social and cultural context of Morocco and respected the decision of the authorities not to project the short.
One of the main motivations of elParlante is precisely that, breaking with stereotypes and prejudices associated with cultures and realities different from those we are used to. For this reason we would like to ask for maximum respect for Moroccan society and its authorities. The TanjaZoom festival does a great job in the social and participatory field opening its doors to all types of participants and audience.
From Ciutat Esperança we want to thank the Casal dels Infants and the Consell de Joventut de Barcelona for the opportunity they gave us to value the work done and the great experience that the trip to the festival supposed.
We would like to take the opportunity to thank all the group of young people of Ciutat Meridiana. Thank you for adapting to the circumstances, to the other realities and understanding them. Thank you for your dedication, love and enthusiasm, for your strength and incombustible energy. Thank you for spreading joy and enthusiasm.
Photograph taken by the Tanjazoom Festival.
