Landaluce Gives Spain's Perspective

José Ignacio Landaluce is the current Mayor of the city of Algeciras, the large Spanish port that lies directly across the bay from Gibraltar. He is also a member of the Spanish Congress of Deputies in Madrid, and sits on the committee of foreign affairs in Congress. I have subtitled two short segments from our discussion, in which he gives the official Spanish perspective on the Gibraltar conflict. The full-length interview is also below, but without subtitles.

Boat-building in Gibraltar

Shipwright Gerald explains the basics of constructing barquillas, the traditional fishing boats of la Caleta, Gibraltar.

The 2009 film has been remastered!

I've updated the 2009 version of the film as I've been updating the old footage, remastering the color, re-recording the narration, and updating the graphics in preparation for the HD release of the upcoming feature-length film. It's at the same place as before on Vimeo, so all old links to the movie should display the most recent version.
"People of the Rock: The Llanitos of Gibraltar" (2009) from Garrett Wesley Gibbons on Vimeo.

Remastering the 2009 film

As I'm working on the feature-length version of the film, I'm also revisiting the 2009 version (the 48-minute student film). I'm re-recording the narration, since the previous recording was done very late at night on the day before the film was due for thesis submission and it made me cringe to listen to it.

While I'm at it, I'm updating some of the B-roll shots, re-coloring and generally remastering the old film so it's ready for digital distribution and download. Here's are two samples of revised sections of them film, about the legend of the monkeys of Gibraltar and the efforts to decolonize the territory:

Telling the Spanish side of the Gibraltar story

After making the short student film in 2009, I saw that there were three main areas I wanted to improve on as I developed the story into the feature-length film that I'm now working on:

1. Political inequity (lack of representation from the GSD party in Gibraltar)
2. National inequity (lack of Spanish voices in the film)
3. Gender inequity (lack of women in the film)

Each of these areas stung me sorely as I realized how narrow my representation was. I believed that I could tell the story better if I included more diverse voices, and that I could do it in a feature-length timeframe without losing the focus of the original student film.

Thankfully, I have been able to make four additional trips to film in relation to this film, and I have dozens of interviews that are now being worked into the narrative. Peter Caruana, former Chief Minister of Gibraltar, was happy to provide an interview that represented the GSD party. I recorded interviews with many prominent and interesting Spanish people, and I was able to interview a number of influential, thoughtful and eloquent women.

Here are two clips, one with Spanish sculptor Nacho Falgueras, and another with local Spanish government representative Susi Barranco. Neither is yet subtitled, so my apologies to those who don't speak Spanish. When finished, the entire feature-length film will be subtitled in both Spanish and English, with a third option to see no subtitles at all (which we're calling the Llanito version). If anyone would like to add English captions to either of these YouTube videos, the feature is enabled on the clips and I'd be grateful for the volunteer service.

Kaiane Aldorino (Miss World 2009) discusses Culture in Gibraltar

I was able to briefly speak with former Miss World, Kaiane Aldorino, and recorded a brief interview with her. She discussed Gibraltarian culture, as well as some of the common misperceptions about Gibraltar that she encountered as she carried the title of Miss World.

Adrian Pisarello discusses his music & Gibraltarian identity

Rock musician Adrian Pisarello sits above La Caleta and discusses why he wrote "Aquí Nadie Se Lo Traga" and what it means to be Gibraltarian. Here's the song: