This year 2010 will not take place the International Competition.

Unfortunately, Docupolis -International Documentary Festival of Barcelona-, shall not take place anymore in the city of Barcelona.

2009 was the last year as the turmoil, and the lack of institutional will, do not allow its continuity

The CCCB, our strongest ally and pillar for nine years, has decided to put an end to its support. This decision, communicated after the last edition, leaves us with no margin of action to redirect the project in 2010.

It's a big disappointment for the organizing team, the documentalists that have been part of this project, professionals, and me in particular.
We think it's a loss for the public and especially for the city of Barcelona, that shoulder to shoulder with Docupolis, has been on the international map of contemporary documentary.

The continuity of the festival in a place other than the CCCB is not feasible in this city, as the festival does not have the support of other institutions, such as the ICIC, that on the 2009's edition denied the finantial help that was given since the opening year, or the ICUB, whose support we value and appreciate, but is insufficient for the scale of the event.

It must be said that the festival was done in minimal budgetary conditions, and this certainly was conditioning many strategic aspects of the project, only mantained by the notorious fragility of the CCCB support The ceasing of that support has made the entire structure collapse.

Thus, in this context, it becomes impossible to continue delivering our effort towards a city, a country, a place that has failed (or unwilling) to understand the importance of cultural heritage and the contribution to various generations of documentary filmmakers that Docupolis meant.

Docupolis has pioneered documentary festivals in Spain, and so is recognized amongst the festivals that have surfaced afterwards and have taken references from our experience. Each year has been a herculean effort to make each edition be, nonetheless, it was a fascinating experience.

There is a before and after of Docupolis in the specific documentary scenario, during these years Docupolis has witnessed the participation of students, directors, producers, great documentaries, and above all, the resurgence of a movement. Each year the festival has been a success in audiences, and has had a broad participation of countries; and this has been our driving force, a responsibility to contemporary times and with all the players we have involved.

From this statement, I thank all who have enabled each edition through these 9 years, with their complicity and their effort and involvement in the advent of an unrepeatable moment.

Only history will be fair or not with Docupolis, the International Documentary Festival of Barcelona.


Hugo Salinas, Director,
and the Docúpolis Team.