Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Very rough sketch of the 30-minute film

The film will show that Gibraltarians have developed their own identity, independent of Spain and Great Britain. Llanito (the Spanish and English mix, spoken widely in Gibraltar) is evidence of this independent identity, as well as Gibraltar's wish to retain the English and Spanish influences in their heritage that contributed to their sense of self.

Gibraltar's unique identity was formed through years of trading and smuggling between Europe and Africa, its role as a military outpost for Great Britain since about 1704, and its curious status as an illegitimate child between Spain and Great Britain, complete with domestic struggles that have led Gibraltar to seek to move out from home, as it were, and establish an identity for itself.

Due to the difficult nature of the decolonization process, the film will address Gibraltar's status with the European Union (past, present and possibly future), and the threat of Spain to its sovereignty. Great Britain will also be demonstrated to be surprisingly ambivalent towards the rights of Gibraltarians as a whole, and audiences will see that in recent history, Gibraltar has been reduced to a negotiating chip used by Britain to bargain with Spain.

That's all for now!