Madrid Stories
Madrid Stories is a semester-long course at NYU Madrid that encourages students to look, listen and explore Madrid with a documentarian’s gaze, to represent the city from new perspectives, and to seek out stories that deepen, contextualize or counterpose pre-existing notions of Madrid and Spain. The course culminates in a lively community screening event that brings together the student filmmakers, the subjects of their films, and the NYU Madrid community. Madrid Stories is taught by Emmy and Goya-winning filmmakers Robert Bahar and Almudena Carracedo.
A few selected videos are shown on this page. View all Madrid Stories on vimeo.
La Mamá
Olga considers herself a fencer, a storeowner, an ironer, a host for students, and, most importantly, a mother. Now that Olga’s kids have grown up and moved out of the house, she seeks new and meaningful activities to fill the next stage of her life. A film by Camille Aké, Nikki Foreman, Annella F Kaine.
La Vida del Mercado
A day in the life of the Mercado de la Cebada, a closed-air market located in the neighborhood of La Latina. As times and culture are changing, closed-air markets are becoming less and less popular with the rise of other shopping centers. Yet, despite these changes in consumer spending habits, Mercado de la Cebada remains open and at the center of the neighborhood. A film by Mari Gallicer and Yi Yi Yeap.
La Bankarrota
The community of Moratalaz transformed an abandoned branch of Bankia, responsible for the eviction of thousands of Spaniards and a 23 Billion Euro bailout, into a social and political center for the people of the neighborhood. Now, with an eviction notice from the police, the people of La Bankarrota “The Broken Bank” or bankrupt are taking to the streets to protest, despite new “gag laws” banning unauthorized demonstrations. A film by Fifer Garbesi and Ana Slade.
Refugees Welcome
"As three minorities who are either U.S. immigrants ourselves or are the children/grandchildren of immigrants from second and third world countries, all of us possess ideas, albeit varying ones, of how difficult it is to uproot your life and relocate to an unfamiliar place, regardless of the possible opportunities that await. We want to tell these stories--those of struggle, of escape, of big dreams, of hard-work, of exclusion, of immersion--through the experiences of immigrants and refugees in Madrid." A film by Rachel Andrade, Jennifer Choi, and Marisa Jamieson.
The Immigrants
The film is about the life of a waitress in a Chinese hotpot restaurant located near Plaza de España. A film by Yongxin Zhu (Leon) and Zhiying Xie (July).
The Wanderer
Lavapies is a Madrid neighborhood that is transforming before its residents' and patrons' very eyes. Daniel Chong, the owner and designer behind the artisanal store, The Wanderer, shares how his shop reflects the beauty and anxieties of a changing community. A film by Cristal Jefferson, Kiara Ventura and Samantha Scoggins.