Ciudad de la Selva is the cinematographic chronicle of the last battle front of the Spanish Civil War in the mid-40s. The story of this group of refugees (fuxidos), who try to survive in the hope that, At the end of World War II, the allied armies also intervened in Spanish territory.
After the military uprising of 1936, many civilians were forced to move looking for a safe place while waiting for the end of the war. “Ciudad de la Selva” arises as a settlement of displaced people in the Casaio mountains (Ourense) that brings together, mainly, Galicians and Asturians opposed to the new Franco regime. Today, thanks to a large number of archaeological finds and the testimony of experts and people who were directly related to this group of dissidents, we can reconstruct the history of these people and know what happened in the mountains of Casaio from when the town was formed until the bloody end of the guerrilla at the hands of the Civil Guard in 1946.
Main features and goals of the crowdfunding campaign
This is an audiovisual project, developed in a cooperative way, with which we seek to create a documentary that tells the last story of the Spanish Civil War. Various historians and journalists have documented the events that occurred in the “Ciudad de la Selva” without knowing that it was a conflict of this magnitude and historiographic importance.
It has been in recent years, with the archaeological, historiographical and anthropological work of Sputnik Labrego that we have discovered that the City of the Jungle was a key point for the anti-Franco resistance in the northwest of the peninsula. In the mountains of Casaio, they believe that there were more than 50 rudimentary buildings in which up to 200 male and female guerrillas could live. From there they managed a wide smuggling network with which they supported their fight against Franco's forces.
We want to create a piece that relies on Casaio's scientific testimony, historical evidence, and landscapes as an objective basis with which to expose the events that occurred there. To accompany these events, we want to have interviews with people who experienced those events directly or indirectly, and merge them with an animated footage to recreate scenarios and situations resulting from the scientific conclusions of Sputnik Labrego and thus give the public different views on the same events.
Our main objective is to carry out the documentary, but this in turn brings with it a scientific projection and new opportunities for Casaio. If this project goes ahead, it may mean more funding for research in the area, and a possible job opportunity linked to culture, heritage and tourism.
Why this is important
The main motivation of this project is to tell a story that, although complex and full of nuances, is part of a memory that is in danger of being lost forever. Within what has been called "democratic memory", the memory of the anti-Franco guerrillas and the maquis has been relegated to second place, which represents a significant neglect of one of the main anti-Franco forces and of those people who fought for the restoration of a democratic order. Likewise, it is a vindication of local memory, in this case that of the village of Casaio, but which is the memory of many other towns and villages that had to face very difficult times, amidst cross fires.
This project is aimed at all those who want to delve into the contemporary history of Spain and Galicia from a critical point of view but based on scientific knowledge.
Team and experience
This project is promoted by a scientific association, Sputnik Labrego, and an audiovisual cooperative Metropolis.coop. Other organizations such as NERD Productions or Catbeat have progressively joined it.
Sputnik Labrego was born from the confluence of several people linked to the academic world whose interests are focused on the study of contemporary rural societies. From this interest the project linked to the City of the Jungle was born in 2017, whose objective was to deepen the scientific knowledge about the anti-Franco guerrilla from the point of view of its material remains. Since then, the team has been expanding, incorporating experts in Contemporary History, Archeology or Gender Studies into its ranks and collaborating with entities of recognized international prestige such as the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), the University of Santiago de Compostela or the University of the Basque Country.
Metropolis.coop is a group of professionals in the audiovisual sector, advertising and computer programming founded in 2018, with the determination to create projects that contribute to the development of the social economy, carry out cultural initiatives and all this under character structures collaborative. Our work is currently focused on providing audiovisual production, recording and editing services to other companies in the sector in Galicia, to advertising agencies, production companies and media groups.
Isabel Fdez Reviriego and Jose Vázquez are Catbeat, a multimedia music producer located in Vigo that works all over the world. This studio has created soundtracks, designed custom sounds and custom music for video games, films, advertising and experimental projects. Isabel Fdez Reviriego is a Spanish musician, producer and composer currently in charge of Aries, a one-man project. Among all her projects, she has published around a dozen albums, including eight albums in Spain, the United States and Japan. José Vázquez is a musician and producer. For 20 years he has worked as a sound technician on the tours of mainstream Spanish artists such as Manolo García or Marea. He is in charge of Pastora's recording studios.
NERD Productions is a creative production studio representing a wide range ofcarefully selected directors and illustrators, crafting styles of live action, animation, mixed media and illustration for TVC, online content, OOH / DOOH, and more. We are active advocates for diversity and inclusion, constantly seeking, nurturing and empowering young talents, female talents, and talents from underrepresented backgrounds. Our goal is to help change and reshape our industry to be more diverse and inclusive, today, tomorrow and for future generations.