Daniel Yegres, director of the Venezuelan movie Alí Primera, speaks after the screening of the film by the Comisiones Obreras trade union in Madrid, Spain. Photo: Instagram/Daniel Yegres.
The Venezuelan film series “Cinema and Memory: The Voice of the People and the Struggle for Sovereignty” premiered in Madrid with the screening of the movie Alí Primera which tells the story of the Venezuelan singer-songwriter whose voice became the voice of the Venezuelan people.
The movie, released in Venezuela on October 31, 2024 on the occasion of the 83rd birthday of the artist and activist known as “the people’s singer,” was shown in Spain for the first time on Wednesday, March 19. The screening was held to a full house at the Ateneo 1° de Mayo Foundation, a center belonging to the Comisiones Obreras trade union, one of the most important trade unions in Spain and Europe.
This screening comes in a context of censorship battle imposed by the Spanish government. The film series, containing three Venezuelan movies, namely, Alí Primera by Daniel Yegres, The Battle of the Bridges by Carlos Azpúrua, and Operation Orion by Rubén Hernández Remón, was scheduled to be screened at Madrid’s Casa de América cultural center during March 17-24. However, the screening was canceled allegedly due to pressure from Isabel Díaz Ayuso, president of the regional government of Madrid and a virulent anti-Venezuela politician of the right-wing Popular Party.
However, Venezuelan Culture Minister Ernesto Villegas reported thereafter that Spanish civil society groups had contacted the Venezuelan embassy to organize alternative screenings.
In this situation, the full house inauguration of this film series in Madrid underscores Venezuela’s determination to uphold its artistic and cultural expression, bringing the voice of its people and its memory to international audiences.
The event was inaugurated by the Venezuelan ambassador in Spain, Gladys Gutiérrez Alvarado. Daniel Yegres, the director of Alí Primera, made a presentation after the screening.
(Alba Ciudad) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/DZ
