A View of Madrid and its Neighbourhoods Through the Documentary 'La ciudad es nuestra' by Tino Calabuig

Abstract

This article explores the filmmaking practice of the Madrid-based filmmaker Tino Calabuig in the 1970s, work that was based on his analysis of the city of Madrid and the living conditions of its residents. It examines one of Calabuig’s most important projects of that period: the documentary La ciudad es nuestra [The City Is Ours] (1975), a protest film providing counter-information on the administrative neglect suffered by some of Madrid’s outer suburbs, such as Pozo del Tío Raimundo, Barrio del Pilar, and Orcasitas. This article analyses the film to identify Calabuig’s interest in revealing the situation in these neighbourhoods and highlighting the role played by grassroots associations in collective calls for social development. It looks at how La ciudad es nuestra was filmed, the importance of a group dynamic in its production, and how Calabuig conceived of its exhibition in a way that would encourage debate about the possibility of social change. It also shows how the documentary, as a testimony to the neighbourhood struggles during the period marked by the shift from the end of the Franco regime to Spain’s transition to democracy, constitutes a key tool for understanding the historical narratives constructed around the grassroots movements of Madrid in the 1970s.