A new documentary with a local heartbeat premieres in San Vicente del Raspeig
David Valero, a filmmaker born in San Vicente del Raspeig, has just completed filming a year ago and brings a new life-affirming documentary to the screen. The film will premiere this weekend in the town’s beloved cinema, a place long associated with intimate, community-driven premieres. The venue at Calle Ramón y Cajal 1 will host three showings over Friday evening, Saturday night, and Sunday afternoon, each screening designed to celebrate resilience and shared memory. Tickets are modest, with a 3 euro admission that makes this a rare chance for neighbors to gather and reflect on a life lived in full.
The cinema has a storied role in Valero’s career, being the only venue where he has consistently managed premieres. It is cherished for its old-world charm and its ability to convey a sense of magic that contemporary multiplexes sometimes miss. This screening marks a special moment for the community as the director seeks to bring a deeply personal story to a broader audience. The plan is to fill the conference room to its comfortable capacity, inviting viewers to experience a documentary that centers on one generation standing at the edge of major cultural and social shifts. The narrative explores how a life lived in rural Spain intersects with a rapidly changing society, and how traditions can endure through storytelling.
In this film, the lead role is portrayed by Mary Moreno, a relative of the director whose own life story has a remarkable resonance with the film’s themes. Moreno has previously appeared in other memorable works, and her presence adds a powerful layer of authenticity to the project. The director’s confidence in Moreno’s performance is matched by a broader sense of collaboration, as a number of Valero’s family members and local contributors from San Vicente del Raspeig participated in the production. The film becomes a tribute to endurance, weaving together threads of war, post-war life, the loss of loved ones, and the quiet battles fought against illness and adversity. The personal connection to the community is evident throughout the screening and the discussion it invites that evening.
Among the film’s cinematic elements are scenes that capture a life lived in daily rhythm. The audience will watch with a close, documentary lens, guided through moments that feel intimate and familiar. The central figure, approaching her 94th year, is confronted with the proximity of death after a neighbor’s passing, yet she remains determined to live fully and to reach the century mark she envisions. In a moment of quiet spiritual resolve, she considers a pact with fate, seeking meaning and connection in the ordinary acts of daily life. The filmmaker emphasizes that cinema has the power to rekindle emotions and memories, offering a space where audiences can reconnect with their own experiences and feelings. The documentary invites viewers to reflect on what it means to age with dignity and to find purpose in the stories we tell about ourselves and those who came before us.
Although produced to resemble a documentary in form, the film remains accessible and emotionally direct, designed to draw the audience into the everyday life of its central character. The narrative cadence moves with the rhythms of real life—sometimes brisk, sometimes contemplative—and asks viewers to consider how generations are shaped by the past and how they shape the future. The film’s premise resonates with universal questions about resilience, love, loss, and the human impulse to keep living with intention even as time presses on.
Initial public screenings first appeared at DocsValència in the spring, followed by a regional festival appearance in Alicante where the work was presented as a guest film. The film has also been shown at various venues in Huesca and in France, reflecting a growing international interest in the story and its themes. Produced by Jaibo Movies and Polar Movies, the project continues to travel to festivals and new audiences as it seeks recognition at awards programs, including national and regional categories for documentary achievement and for original musical moments that accompany the film’s emotional arc.
As the festival circuit awaits, the filmmakers anticipate further opportunities to share this intimate portrait with audiences who value cinema that speaks plainly about life, memory, and the ties that bind a community. The film’s journey so far has been marked by a steady climb through regional showcases toward broader visibility, underscoring the enduring appeal of personal storytelling that speaks to shared experiences. The filmmakers remain committed to presenting a film that feels both specific to its locale and resonant with viewers everywhere who understand the ways life’s aging chapters can illuminate the human spirit. The community is invited to join in the screening weekend and to participate in the kind of conversation that only cinema of this kind can provoke, one that honors memory while embracing the possibility of new beginnings.