Xavó-Xaví

In 1978, Barcelona launched a social programme for Can Tunis, a neighbourhood where people hovered between life and death. Housing, education and jobs were the three pillars of the reconstruction project. Twenty years later, these pillars seem to be giving way again under the demolition - in a literal sense: the quarter is being pulled down in order to expand the harbour – and by the unbridled increase of crime, prostitution and drug traffic. A number of bastions of goodwill and hope remain standing for the time being, like the school that is specially equipped for the maladjusted local children and the drug relief centre. Director Óscar Pérez shows how they fight the utter deterioration and indifference of inhabitants and authorities. In a quiet tempo and with a calm, almost serene photography, he lets the neighbourhood and its occupants tell the story, verbally and visually. The peacefulness is enhanced by recurring scenes, like at the entrance of the school gate, where old Basilio meets the pupils with a personal conversation, a joke, a scolding or a hug. The images of the school, the drug scene, the social workers and the demolition of the area are interrupted by statements, which are at the same time appeals for help to the government, by people involved in the nearly hopeless situation. CAN TUNIS, the sequel to XAVÓ-XAVI, will also be shown at the festival