Documentary Double Bill

The Intimacy of Strangers
Eva Weber, UK, 19 mins, 2005
+ Q&A with Director Eva Weber

The Intimacy of Strangers is a story of life, love, loss and hope - entirely constructed out of real, overheard mobile phone conversations of random strangers. Exploring the conflict between the private and public, between being intimate yet distant the film weaves these seemingly random exchanges into a modern-day love story: from first attraction to the bitter end. A portrait of urban solitude and longing, the documentary reflects on whether these conversations can say something deeper about our world, our underlying fears and hopes, and the role of the mobile phone in this. Is it a mere instrument of our desires, or does it actually change the way we relate to each other?

Thirty Square Metres and a Balcony
(Trenta Metres I Un Balc)
Rosa Cerarols, Saturnino Granero, Barbara Mas-Bag, Adriana Salvat
Spain, 2006, 27mins
Spanish & Catalan (English sub-titles)

Barceloneta is the historic seafront neighbourhood of Barcelona where most of the housing was built in 1753 as part of a major urban redevelopment. In the ensuing years, as the population has increased and the neighbourhood declined, houses have not only grown in size but have been subdivided to create more apartments. Commonly this meant dividing the large houses into rough quarters - 'Quarts de casa' - creating apartments of 25 to 30 m2. This documentary produced by students of the visual anthropology course at Barcelona University explores the different uses and relations of space created by their inhabitants. A witty and engaging exploration of domestic space, home building, objects and their relation to the wider built environment.