2026

València, 1939.
Esperanza, an art conservator, is responsible for safeguarding the masterpieces of the Museo del Prado that were transferred to Valencia during the war to protect them from fascist bombings. When the war ends, she is arrested and interrogated by a Francoist lieutenant about a missing painting from the Prado collection: The Invasion of the Barbarians.

Eighty years later,

Aurora confronts the mayor of a town near Valencia over the exhumation of a mass grave from the Franco era discovered within the municipality. As past and present collide, buried truths demand to be uncovered.The screening was be followed by a special Q&A with the film’s director, Vicent Monsonís, offering audiences the opportunity to delve deeper into the film’s themes of memory, justice, and historical legacy.

March 16th, 6:15 pm
Arts One, Queen Mary University of London
Original version (catalan) with English subtitles
Followed by Q&A with the director and drinks reception

The phrase “only the people save the people,” written in mud letters on the walls, is a powerful statement that says much more than it seems. It carries a certainty that is both bitter and joyful at the same time: that solidarity, tenderness, and salvation can only be given to us by one another, without expecting too much from the rest.

Thanks to @valenciansuk and @catalans_uk, for the organisation and for bringing the voices of such wonderful people. We had the opportunity to listen to @paualabajos and Òscar, author and editor of the book Memòria de fang, an essay in interview format that gathers the stories, reflections, and experiences of those affected by and who survived the flood.

We also heard the moving testimony of Rafel, a member of ValenciansUK, a Valencian living in London who lost two brothers in the flood, and who showed us the true face of dignity and struggle.

We closed the evening with an emotional concert by Pau, who set to music everything that was floating in the room and in our minds.

2022

The Catalan writer Eva Baltasar came to visit us at QMUL. We read and discussed her beautiful novel “Permafrost” 😍

The author herself read fragments from the original version in Catalan, published by El Club Editor, and our PhD student, Charlotte Byrne, read the English translation, edited by And Other Stories.

Questions and comments followed, accompanied with Catalan wine and cava.

2021

JOAN BROSSA’S FIRST BOOK OF POETRY PUBLISHED IN ENGLISH!

We had readings, films, and reminiscences from people who knew the man. The translator Cameron Griffiths talked about how he took on the task of turning Catalan into English and Stephen Watts performed his specially commissioned piece in response to Brossa’s world.