The event, part of the Cineclub Pessic program, began with an address by the Councillor for Culture, Raúl García de la Reina, who introduced this edition of the conference, focused on reflection on recent history and historical reparation. Following him, Monsonís spoke to emphasize the need to strengthen and support the Valencian film industry.
During the post-screening discussion, Monsonís explained that the film's genesis lies in Chema Cardeña's play of the same name. The adaptation process required extensive documentation, as, although the plot is fiction, the narrated events are inspired by real occurrences during the Spanish post-war period and the present day. This research was crucial for setting the film and faithfully depicting the misery of the post-war era, the cruel repression, and the tributes paid to Nazis in Valencia in 1939, whose graphic testimonies were erased by Franco's government.
The plot of La invasió dels bàrbars intertwines two eras: 1939, focusing on Esperanza (played by Olga Alamán), a young museum conservator interrogated by a Francoist colonel about a missing painting; and the present, where her granddaughter Aurora searches for her ancestor's remains in a mass grave. The screenplay links Francoist repression and the protection of artistic heritage with the search for identity and the reparation of victims. The director highlighted that the film avoids individual protagonism to focus on a collective vision, featuring a cast of established names from the Valencian and national scene.
One of the most emphasized points was the difficulty of financing this independent film, originally shot in Valencian and centered on historical memory. Monsonís noted that the treatment of Francoist repression and the use of the local language posed significant barriers to finding conventional funding channels. In this scenario, the production team opted for self-distribution, funding promotion through a crowdfunding campaign on Verkami, which raised 52,000 euros, exceeding the initial goal.
This model allowed La invasió dels bàrbars to be screened in prominent cinemas such as Cine Lys in Valencia and La Salera in Castellón, and it has recently made the leap to screens in Madrid. Word-of-mouth has been key to the film's success. Furthermore, Monsonís highlighted the project's educational aspect, with over 5,000 students from Valencian high schools having already viewed the film in special morning sessions. A screening for secondary education centers in Dénia is scheduled for late April.
This Sunday's presentation marks the beginning of an extensive program for the «Memòria i futur» conference, which will run in Dénia until May 26. The program includes talks, exhibitions, and presentations of essays, novels, and comics, as well as a tribute event for Dénia citizens who were victims of Nazism in the Mauthausen concentration camp. The next event will be the inauguration of the exhibition En Resistencia. El exilio combatiente, scheduled for this Saturday, April 18.
