A Journey into the Past: Screening of the Documentary ‘Aparceros’ on World Audiovisual Heritage Day

On the occasion of World Audiovisual Heritage Daywhich is celebrated on October 27, the Filmoteca Canaria, organizes the screening of the documentary “Aparceros” (1972), followed by the short films “Manifestación de aparceros en Las Palmas de GC”, Años 80 and “How Aparceros was made” ( 1972).

The documentary “Aparceros” was made by a Basque production company in the South of the Island in 1972 and censored by the dictatorship for five years. Directed by Jesús Almendros and with Ramón Saldías as director of photography, who traveled specifically for this filming, in the documentary you can see how the sharecroppers and their families lived in the Maspalomas area during tomato cultivation. The work took place for seven months, during which they prepared the land, planted the tomato plants and did the watering, tying, weeding and fertilizing work until the tomato was harvested. At that time they lived in barracks or barracks built by the owners on the same land they cultivated, where water was scarce and had to be transported in bottles, as can be seen in these images.

The presentation will be attended by the three members of the production company Ikastor Films, Ramón Saldías, Jesús Almendros and José Luis Arza, as well as Maite Beltrán, wife of Ramón Saldías, who was in charge of filming the images of the making of of the documentary.

Onintze Saldías, daughter of Ramón Saldías and Maite Beltrán, will be in charge of the presentation of the event and the moderation of the discussion after the screening.

Sharecroppers

Year: 1972 Address: Jesus Almendros Photography: Ramon Saldias Production: Ikastor films Made by the Ikastor group Mounting: José Luis Arza 35 mm film. Black and white. Laboratory: Madrid-Film Truca: ISKRA Sound: Regson Studios Effects: S.Y.R.E. Songs: “Maspalomas y tu”, by Néstor Álamo, “Polka frutera”, by Nijota and Elfidio Alonso and performed by Los Sabandeños. LP released by Discos Columbia. Filmed in Maspalomas.

Synopsis:

Maspalomas, in the south of the island of Gran Canaria, in addition to being an international tourist center, is also an important agricultural center dedicated to tomatoes.

The lands are cultivated by families who come from all over the island to work, not as wage earners but as sharecroppers, that is, as sharecroppers. The families of Apareros, during the seven months that the harvest lasts, live in quarters or barracks built by the owners on the same land they cultivate. Among tomatoes, sharecroppers grow other products for their food and that of the animals they raise. Water is scarce and for this reason it is highly appreciated. At the end of the harvest, on San Fernando Day, the sharecroppers celebrate lively popular festivals in which there is no shortage of cockfights and Canarian wrestling.

The documentary was made in 1972, but until 1977 it could not be publicly screened because it did not have a screening permit, which was withheld by Franco’s censorship.

DEMONSTRATION OF SHAREHOLDERS IN LAS PALMAS DE GRAN CANARIA

Filmed by Ramón Saldías. 35mm. Black and white. Without sound

At the beginning of the 80s, the apparition workers of Gran Canaria dared to take to the streets, organizing numerous strikes to fight for their rights and present their claims to the island authorities.

HOW SHAREKEEPERS BECAME (1972)

Filmed by Maite Beltrán. 16mm. Black and white. Without sound.

All these films have been recovered, restored and digitized by Filmoteca Canaria in Aracne Digital Cinema (Madrid), in 2023.

Total duration: 28 minutes

All public

2023-09-11 11:09:30
#CANARIAN #FILMOTECA #SHAREHOLDERS #Teatro #Guiniguada