The Triumph of Memory: Interview with Hugo Salinas, director of Docupolis

By Pablo G. Polite

If people remembered more often that the first films —films which started in 1896 with the Lumière brothers— were documentaries, it would require a lot less effort to justify the importance, sense and raison d’être of an event such as Docúpolis, the documentary film festival which has been held for the past seven years in the Centre for Contemporary Culture in Barcelona (CCCB). Conceived originally by the Tercer Ojo collective as a platform for investigation and reflection, the award has been gaining international prestige over the years, until today it has become one of the most important festivals of its genre, an open space for presentation, debate and learning, which brings together new talents and recognised authors in order to clarify the position held by the documentary in an age of profound economic, social, cultural and technological change. Art Signal interviewed the director of the festival, Hugo Salinas, two days before its inauguration, and this, more or less is what he told us.

“Mother’s House”, François Verster, 2005, Southafrica, Betacam.

Docúpolis is seven years old, and has become an international point of reference. Did you ever imagine it would grow as it has?

This is rather the culmination of a dream which one day became a reality and which has continued to grow with the passing of time. For us, it is a matter of pride to see the interest the festival arouses in documentary makers from all over the world each year: this year, we have received over 1,200 proposals and will be exhibiting works from almost seventy countries.

What features define Docúpolis and differentiate it from other, similar, festivals?

When we originally conceived of the festival, we envisaged an award where the public could see the latest international productions and at the same time present retrospectives, diving a little into the past and recognising the work of documentary makers. It is also very important to offer an education. The idea is that Docúpolis is a large scale documentary workshop, but not on a commercial level, that is something that should be made clear. The growth is collective, and it is to be hoped that it acts as a “cultural boomerang”, that everyone is affected by what they see. It is a window onto world culture.

As regards the evolution of the festival, what have been the main difficulties you have faced?

Budgetary limitations.

Would you say that Docúpolis still reflects the philosophy that created it?

With all my heart. The festival was born independent, and continues to be so. We know that we are vulnerable, that nothing is guaranteed and the way ahead is difficult, but we carry on. With a sensation of encountering headwinds at times, but content with what we have been able to achieve with a lot of effort.

What are your criteria when putting together the programme?

We look for subjects which have a social and humanistic quality, although we don’t dismiss other subjects. It also depends on the treatment given to a subject, experimentation, if it is entertaining, rigorous standards, what it contributes, what is the freshest, most artistic vision of reality…

Seven years later, has the context of Docúpolis changed?

Absolutely. There are new events which approach the documentary from another angle, and which widen the audiovisual offer, giving more validity and reason to our festival. Software such as Youtube and Google Video has also helped to popularise the genre. But the most important aspect is that experience is an education, and in this sense, we are even more demanding in our work.

This year, Slovenia is the guest country. What does it offer?

An open window onto a country and onto customs which I imagine are completely unknown to many, as they were to me. I’m looking forward to seeing how the public reacts. The selection was mad by Simon Popek, director of the Liubliana film festival, and I’m sure it will work well.

What would you like to highlight form this year’s programme?

I would encourage people to come. Between documentary award entries and parallel activities, there is something for everyone. In addition, this year we have an international celebrity – Patricio Guzmán, director of “La batalla de Chile” and “Memoria obstinada” – who will be giving the seminar on documentary film making. I recommend it wholeheartedly.

In recent years there has been a growth on documentary film making. What future do you see for the genre?

Documentaries have always been the poor relative of film, so this boom helps to put the genre where it should be, as an educational tool, as a way of understanding our lives, as memory. In this way, I think that the documentary has begun to occupy the position it deserves.

Pablo G. Polite is journalist and freelance curator based in Barcelona.