Over three consecutive days in the second week of October, Van Gogh cinemas in León will show the documentary Mi Valle directed by Mario Santos and Lores Espinosa, students at theUniversidad Europea which is also taking part as a collaborating institution. After multiple screenings in various locations, the makers hope to present the work at the 2017 Goya Awards.
The documentary gathers the testimonies of those who experienced the catastrophe which occurred in Riaño, León and adjacent villages between the 1960s and the 1990s, where inhabitants were forced to leave their homes for the construction of a controversial reservoir. The film aims to relive the dramatic experiences of those who were there, together with accounts from journalists, photographers and activists at the time, in order not to forget what the region once was. Both students, who completed the Advanced Diploma in Multimedia and Entertainment Production, used the production company Waves Films which they set up to create the film, among other projects.
For Mario, now a cameraman at Real Madrid TV, making the documentary was “a rewarding experience which has also helped us cope more easily with other kinds of problems or jobs. A 1-year piece of work by only 4 people, in particular Lores and I, who took on all of the production, finding backing and screenings, and much more”. The University was “one of the critical backers who helped guide us, especially the support received from the very start, like providing us with materials and advice”, explained Lores, who is now in her 3rd year of the Bachelor's Degree in Audiovisual Communication.