The neon signs and dark green city lights, the food culture, the history of a village consumed by opium, the old traditions that keep households together, the old crusty mussels attached to the bottom of the floating restaurants for years. I want to be there,
I want to see every dark spot from every dark street of Shanghai.
One day at a not so young age I discovered between some boxes a sex book that actually made me imagine myself as the main character, Cocó, with long pale legs and a mini skirt walking all around the streets of this objectively terrible bet seller, lit up by the red tinted bulbs from a couple gorgeous pubs. My favorite book “Shanghai baby” is the name. Beautifully written by Wei Hui in my opinion. The first book that I ever finished, which was later on followed by “marrying buddha” an even worse but even better second part. Now I realize how amusingly bad the book is. But when I started reading it something about it touched something extremely deep in me. funnily enough. I couldn´t help to fall in love with such a beautiful yet stupid way of writing and describing the beauty of a 27 year old’s closet full of red silk and her sex life.
Our trip is happening tomorrow.
PRECIOUS (Trailer)
Camera: Unknown
31/12/25
China .101
Camera:HP Photosmart 2009
08/10/24
PRECIOUS is a collection of archived material originally filmed by my aunt when she was about 16. In the early 90s, she unintentionally captured what I believe is very emotional and nostalgia inducing footage, offering an intimate close-up into my family's lives in the 90's.
My mom, Elena, starring as one of the main characters in the film, appears as a teenager who was then my age now. almost 20. My grandparents, now almost 80 years old, appear as thriving young adults rising their 3 children in a post-dictatorship Spain, building their future together, with their parents still by their side, and in a key period of their lives.
With their 3 children about to fly off the nest, PRECIOUS is a reflection of the last few years right before major changes happened. My mom, soon left Spain and went off to Boston to study business, Manuel, my uncle, went off to Los Angeles to study art history, and my aunt Ana, who is never seen in the movie since she's the one filming everything, later on moved to Montreal, where she met her now husband.
This project has taken me over a year to put together and release. The footage was considered lost for years before I got my hands on it, given the complexity of the process needed to extract the material from an old, damaged VHS, and the VHS itself being kept in a shoe box for almost 30 years.
Needless to say, this is a very personal and emotional project for me, and one that I have incredible love for, since its not only a meaningful gift to myself that I will cherish for ever, but a gift to my family, appearing in the movie, who I'm tremendously close with.
October City
Camera:HP Photosmart 2009
24/10/24
Summer ´24 (with M)
Camera: Nikon F3
21/08/24
The Duo
Camera:Nikon F3
