Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo challenges Spain

On June 15, I had the honor to accompany the recently-elected Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, to the United Nations Committee of 24 meetings on decolonization. I filmed the Chief Minister's speech and have made it available in its entirety on YouTube. It is a stirring and energetic speech that astonished all present at the meetings that morning.



For those of you looking for just some sound bytes, this highlights video is a good place to start.



I filmed a lot more of the Government of Gibraltar's visit to the United States and United Nations Headquarters, but most of that will have to wait for the full documentary, which is coming along.

Phil Valverde sings to his Gibraltar

I filmed Phil Valverde singing this song in March 2011 for "People of the Rock," and this refrain has been stuck in my head ever since:

"Gibraltar, my Gibraltar
Keep your nose clean
From the North side of the border"

He's singing about the period from 1969-1985 when Spain closed the border with Gibraltar as an act of political aggression. In his full interview, Philip discusses how visitors to Gib flew to Tangier and took a boat across the strait to the Rock. Animosity towards Spain flourished and the people of Gibraltar became a very close-knit community.



The film is coming along well. I've recently been invited to attend and film the United Nations Committee of 24 meetings on non-self-governing territories this June in New York. That segment will cover something that a number of people have discussed in their interviews, but showing is so much more powerful than telling in film. The short story is that Fabian Picardo (recently-elected Chief Minister of Gibraltar) will represent Gibraltar before the UN in an attempt to have Gibraltar removed from the UN list of non-self-governing territories (ie, colonies). Spain and the UK will speak as well, and history suggests that sparks will fly.

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Extended Interview: Fabian Picardo

I want to provide longer, more complete interviews for viewers to explore after they have finished watching the film. Most of those interviewed will have an extended clip available online, similar to Andrew Rosindell.

This is one such extended interview with Fabian Picardo, member of the Gibraltar Socialist Labor Party. Segments of this interview will certainly appear scattered throughout the soon-to-be-completed film, but some viewers will want to learn more about the topics he addresses and would like to hear more context surrounding the more brief segments that make their way into the narrative.



Gibraltarian Identity & British Identity: 0:00
Gibraltarian views on Spaniards: 1:47
Decolonising Gibraltar: 3:03
Ceuta & Melilla: 6:14
Gibraltar's future: 9:02

For more frequent updates visit www.facebook.com/peopleoftherock.

In Gibraltar, Politics is Football

Allen Bula of the Gibraltar Football Association discusses how international politics spills into football, especially when Spain and Gibraltar are concerned.

Adrian Pisarello sings to Gibraltar's resilience

This song was written about the joint-sovereignty talks of leading up to the 2002 referendum, when Spain and the UK were discussing joint-ownership of Gibraltar. The people of Gibraltar vehemently opposed the altered sovereignty status. In a crucial act of political self-determination, the 7 November 2002 referendum rejected the notion that other countries could decide the sovereignty of Gibraltar without the consent of its people.


Adrian Pisarello is a bard of Gibraltar, singing the stories and struggles of his people and entertaining along the way. His music will be featured heavily throughout this film, along with two other Gibraltarian musicians.

Quick previews from Gibraltar

I've been running around Gibraltar, meeting people, making phone calls and filming like crazy. I won't be editing most of this footage until I'm back in Seattle, but I wanted to share a few updates from my first day of filming. Things are coming along well but I still have a lot to do while here so I'll be spending less time editing and more time filming!



And here are just a few more clips!

Andrew Rosindell MP discusses Gibraltar

Here's an interview with Andrew Rosindell MP that took place a few days ago in London. Mr Rosindell has represented Gibraltar's interests before the House of Commons in the past, and was eager to discuss the trade and human rights implications of Spain's insistance that the Rock is theirs.

This is a nearly full-length interview, not color-corrected or with processed audio (it will all be cleaned up for the film), just for those who I know will want to see the whole commentary.