10th Human Rights Film Festival of Barcelona

The Barcelona Human Rights Film Festival returns to the city once again, and on this occasion with a two-fold premise.

On the one hand, to promote and discover locations for the dissemination and projection of works by committed filmmakers and, on the other hand, to raise awareness and promote respect for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights among society by increasing the circulation of these films. With these objectives, the festival began on the 16th of May with the showing of the documentary La Tinta Negra (The Black Ink), by Sebastian Aràbia, which was attended by Baltasar Garzón, the film’s protagonist.

From the 16th to the 26th of May, the Girona and Maldà cinemas will be showing films such as Martas Koffer (Marta’s Suitcase), by Günter Schwaiger, which uses real-life cases to describe the suffering and plight of mistreated women, Wild and Precious, by Bill Mousoulis, the experience of an Italian filmmaker who finds himself in the middle of the Greek socio-political crisis, or Los Dioses de Verdad Tienen Huesos (True Gods Have Bones), a film that narrates the everyday life of five people of different origin, race and beliefs, all of whom need to be evacuated from Guinea Bissau to save their lives.

The Human Rights Film Festival of Barcelona, with corresponding offices in New York and Paris, has been established at an international level and is the most important Human Rights festival in Catalonia.

Film Festival website

Drap-Art Exhibition at Las Arenas Barcelona

Les Arenes is displaying a selection of works based on drap-art, an artistic trend that aims to raise awareness of the problems created by waste production. The exhibition coincides with International Recycling Day, on May 17, and World Environment Day on June 05.

The exhibition showcases more than 40 works of recycled art. An exhibition of selected works by International Creative Recycling Festival of Catalonia.

22 authors: Màrius Santamaría, Javier Mañá, Quim Rifà, Karol Bergeret, Jana Álvarez, Marc Roca, Eduard Palaus, Quim Falcó i Txell Tembleque, Toni Moranta, Joaquín Carrillo, Festa Fusta, Denada Barcelona, Imanol Ossa (ES), Francesca Genna (IT), Steven Forster, Sophia Daly Rossin (GB), Bill Miller (USA), Léo Piló (Br), Sol Courreges, Fabio De Minicis (Ar), Vittorio Villa (Chile), Josecarlos Flórez (Perú).

Centre Comercial Arenas de Barcelona | From 15/05/2013 to 15/06/2013
Gran Via Corts Catalanes, 373 | Free admission

BCN Fan Fest – F1 Grand Prix

The BCN Fan Fest is a completely free recreational event. The Jardinets de Gràcia is an F1 village from Thursday 9 to Sunday 12 May and F1 fans will be able to enjoy other motor-themed activities, take part in promotions and receive discounts.

Brands such as SEAT, Hot Wheel, McGregor and Banco Santander are providing F1 simulators, a motorhome, circuits for children and other enhanced-reality activities to enjoy Formula 1 in Barcelona.

Several shops on Passeig de Gràcia have also fitted themselves out to welcome the fifth grand prix of the season, which is taking place at the Circuit de Catalunya.

The Spanish Grand Prix, along with other events such as the World Swimming Championships and the X Games will be turning Barcelona into the capital of sport.

Barcelona Bridal Week 2013

The 2013 collection from the designer Rosa Clará was the first to go on display on the world’s number-one bridal catwalk, the Gaudí Núvies, where great creators will have until 3 May to discover the latest, spectacular collections and trends from designers from Spain and the rest of the world.

The parades are followed by the most important professional fair in the sector, the Spanish International Bridal Fair, which takes place from 3 to 5 May and, as the organisers have predicted, will be at full capacity with 230 brands, 50% of these being international. They will be confirming the platform’s importance as an intense and dynamic business and commercial contacts centre for professionals from around the world.

The 23rd edition of Barcelona Bridal Week, which takes place until Sunday 5 May at Hall 8 at the Gran Via Fira de Barcelona, expects to see even more visitors than the 15.300 registered at the previous edition.

The 42nd edition of the Seville April Fair of Barcelona

The 42nd edition of the Seville April Fair of Catalonia takes place at the Fòrum from 26 April to 5 May, during which it will be raffling products to raise funds for the Food Bank and putting up an onsite food collection point.

Notable acts giving performances will include Guadaljarafe, Brisas, Zaira, Aromas and the group Azaila el Ballet Clásico Español Susana Salvador. In addition, visitors will be able to enjoy performances from the cuadros de baile being offered by every organisation with a stall at the fair.

El Parc del Fòrum -> Pl Fòrum, 1 | Sant Martí

www.fecac.org

Primavera Sound in the Bars

From 24 April, Primavera Sound was warming up with “Primavera in the Bars“, a pre-festival initiative that forms part of the free “Primavera in the City” programme.

In other words, 22 Spanish and international bands will be presenting their repertoire live at 15 city bars. So, these bars and restaurants will echo to the sound of their music until 18 May.

The concerts start at 20 pm and Heineken, who are sponsoring the programme, will offer everybody there a special festival-edition beer.

Pablo Picasso: Tauromachy at the Foundation Suñol

Some twenty texts by the bullfighter José Delgado (alias Pedro Illo) and 26 aquatints by Pablo Picasso that illustrate the text. This is the work Bullfighting, brought together by the Fundació Suñol and on display until September.

The artist, fascinated by the world of bullfighting from a young age, produced these highly expressive works of art in 1959. In fact, bullfighting is a running theme in the work of the painter and sculptor.

Through this exhibition, the Fundació Suñol is paying homage to Picasso 40 years after his death.

Fundació Suñol | From 18/04/2013 to 07/09/2013
Passeig de Gràcia, 98 – Eixample

4th Barcelona Sports Film Festival

Almost 200 films have been entered for the 4th BCN Sports Film Festival, which is taking 60 sports-related films from 40 countries through to the competition. They include feature films, animations, and documentaries, with sport as the common theme, and the creativity and visual effects they showcase will establish the BCN Sports Film as an international benchmark.

There are projects from Catalonia, Spain, Latin America, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Holland, Norway, the United Kingdom, Romania, Russia, Singapore, the United States and Turkey, among other countries from the five continents – unmistakable proof of how the event has internationalised.

BCN Sports Film is more than a festival: a wide range of topics and formats, exhibitions, activities and events for professionals and for the general public, make the BCN Sports Film become a major cultural event: sports, television and film.

Museu Olímpic i de l’Esport Joan Antoni Samaranch de Barcelona | From 18/04/2013 to 20/04/2013
Av Estadi, 60 | Sants-Montjuïc

Barcelona prepares the X Games

The X Games are coming to Barcelona, offering a great sports show from 16 to 19 May. The Games will offer 14 disciplines in four categories of extreme sports: skateboarding, BMX, motocross and rallies.

Extreme sports legends who have already confirmed they’ll be taking part at this edition include the freestyle motocross rider, Travis Pastrana, famous for being the first rider to do a back flip, and Bob Burnquist, a skateboarder specialising in giant leaps. Other participants include the rally driver Ken Block and the motorbike stunt rider Robbie Madisson.

The freestyle motocross rider, Edgar Torronteras, born in Cardedeu, is one of the great Catalan hopes for a medal. “I can’t sleep. I’ve done a lot of training, I have to do whatever it takes to win that medal“, said Torronteras during the presentation of the Barcelona X Games. Torronteras is one of the pioneers in the Freestyle Moto X and will be taking part in the Best Whip and Speed and Style events.

The Barcelona X Games’ organisers have announced that they have already sold 20% of the tickets available. They expect some 140.000 persons to turn up, bringing the city an estimated turnover of 42 million euros a year.

[Barcelona X Games]

The 21st Barcelona International Women’s Film Festival

The 21st edition of the Barcelona International Women’s Film Festival will continue throughout the year, offering a variety of programmes and venues, new special-theme spaces, creative workshops and a web space with an archive on all the previous editions as well as a digital magazine with articles that will be continually updated during the year.

The programme, which is organised in conjunction with the Societat General d’Autors i Editors (Authors’ Foundation), takes place from 4 to 18 April. It consists of two parts: “The History Cinema Reveals” and “Up-and-coming Film-Makers“. These events are free.

The first offers four films that show how women film-makers in Spain are involved in every aspect of our contemporary history’s social, political and economic reality.

In short, it is a space designed to introduce and assess films made by women. It invites various kinds of public to discover new perspectives in women’s cinema. Perspectives that are enriching and transforming cultural practices and audiovisual creation as a whole.

Next Page »