Ciutat morta (2014)

Directed by

Xapo Ortega, Xavier Artigas

Genre

documentary film

Country

Spain

Runtime

2h

Rating

6.3 of 10 from 19 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This documentary looks at the 2006 arrest and conviction of several people after a police officer was injured in Barcelona. It argues that the legal process was unfair and part of a larger pattern of police misconduct. The film follows the case and the efforts to bring attention to it.

investigativecriticalsoberingunsettlingpolitically chargedgrittyfactualurgent

What happens

Ciutat Morta ([siwˈtat ˈmɔr.tə], "Dead City") is a 2013 Catalan documentary about the 4F case, directed by Xavier Artigas and Xapo Ortega. The film covers the repercussions of the events of February 4, 2006, when a Guàrdia Urbana officer in Barcelona was grievously injured and several people were arrested. This resulted in a long court-case and ultimately four people were convicted and imprisoned, one of whom committed suicide. Ciutat Morta argues that the convictions were unjust and reflect general trends of police prejudice, violence and impunity to prosecution. The film generated controversy on its release, with a local media blackout. Catalan television (TV3) refused to produce or screen the film until 2015, after it had received positive reactions at film festivals. When it was eventually televised, five minutes had been cut by order of the court. Ciutat Morta was produced with volunteer labour by the directors after crowdfunding 4,700 euros, with La Directa staff pursuing the investigation. It caused a review of the convictions, none of which were overturned. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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