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Anunciaron tormenta

A Storm Was Coming
Forum 2020
Ësáasi Eweera, one of the last kings of the Bubi people of the island of Bioko, Equatorial Guinea, and a thorn in the side of the Spanish colonial powers, died in 1904 in mysterious circumstances. This unsolved case is now reopened a century later, starting with Eweera’s ascent to the throne and stretching all the way to the aftermath of his death today. Archival documents form the basis of his investigation, but not all documents are made equal and gaps are inevitable, an axiom which is also translated into visual form. Historical photos of salient locations and sections of text fade in and out to white, as do moving images of the same places today; crisp digital images rub up against fuzzy film stock. The flowery written records of the Spanish are read out by actors and set against the sober oral testimonies of the Bubi, who remain off-camera in keeping with their customs; the photos of their ancestors also never appear for more than a fleeting instant. A film as heterogeneous as the documents it draws on: a detective story, an indictment of colonialism and a study of its representation, a swansong to a waning culture, made up of countless chafing textures, like history itself.
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by Javier Fernández Vázquez
with Justo Bolekia Boleká, Reha-Xustina Bolekia Bueriberi, Nieves Posa Bohome, Paciencia Tobilleri Bepe, Ricardo Bulá Bitema, Donato Muatetema Muelachuá, José Fernando Siale Djangany, Fermín Muatiché Burelepe, José Carlos Domínguez, David García Vázquez Spain 2020 Spanish, Bubi 87’ Colour World premiere | Documentary form

With

  • Justo Bolekia Boleká
  • Reha-Xustina Bolekia Bueriberi
  • Nieves Posa Bohome
  • Paciencia Tobilleri Bepe
  • Ricardo Bulá Bitema
  • Donato Muatetema Muelachuá
  • José Fernando Siale Djangany
  • Fermín Muatiché Burelepe
  • José Carlos Domínguez
  • David García Vázquez

Crew

Director Javier Fernández Vázquez
Cinematography Lati Maraña AEC
Editing Javier Fernández Vázquez
Sound Design Roberto Fernández
Sound Roberto Fernández
Assistant Director José Luis Ndong Ona Andeme
Production Manager Iván Pérez Ortega
Producer Javier Fernández Vázquez
Executive Producer Javier Fernández Vázquez

Produced by

Javier Fernández Vázquez

Javier Fernández Vázquez

Born in Bilbao, Spain in 1980. After studying Film and Media Studies, he earned a diploma in Film Direction. He then completed a degree in Anthropology, and earned an MA in Contemporary Art History and Visual Culture. In 2008, together with Luis López Carrasco and Natalia Marín Sancho, he founded the experimental and documentary film collective Los Hijos. He has been working as a lecturer in Film Direction and Visual Anthropology.

Filmography

2007 Señales de indiferencia (Marks of Indifference); 14 min. 2008 El sol en el sol del membrillo (The Sun on the Quince Tree of the Sun); 12 min., co-directed by Luis López Carrasco, Natalia Marín Sancho 2009 Ya viene, aguanta, riégueme, mátame (It’s Coming, Hold on, Spray me, Kill me); 8 min., co-directed by Luis López Carrasco, Natalia Marín Sancho 2010 Los materiales (The Materials); 75 min., co-directed by Luis López Carrasco, Natalia Marín Sancho · Circo (Circus); 71 min., co-directed by Luis López Carrasco, Natalia Marín Sancho 2011 Tarde de verano (Summer Afternoon); 6 min., co-directed by Luis López Carrasco, Natalia Marín Sancho · Evacuación (Evacuation); 2 min., co-directed by Luis López Carrasco, Natalia Marín Sancho 2012 Enero 2012 o la apoteosis de Isabel la Católica (January 2012 or the Apotheosis of Isabel, the Catholic Queen); 18 min., co-directed by Luis López Carrasco, Natalia Marín Sancho 2013 Árboles (Trees); 61 min., co-directed by Luis López Carrasco, Natalia Marín Sancho

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2020