Alicante director Carlos Salado unveiled his feature in New York, presenting a film that centers on the lives of people in the city’s marginalized neighborhoods. The project marks the producer’s debut and opens a window onto the social fabric of Alicante, inviting viewers to see a side of the city that often goes unseen.
The feature crossed the Atlantic to engage American audiences and to participate in film cycles at universities and cultural institutions. It was organized in collaboration with the Madrid-based production company Casilda Garcia, New York University, and the Performance Theater in New York, creating a bridge between Spanish cinema and American academic and performing arts communities.
With more than four million views on YouTube, Raising Mice invites viewers to reflect on the challenging conditions faced by the most underserved districts. It departs from conventional storytelling to pursue a hyper-real cinematic aesthetic, a choice emphasized by Salado as a deliberate approach to cinema that mirrors life as it unfolds in these communities.
The film premiered in 2016 after a lengthy production period of five years. The cast includes Ramon Guerrero Christ and other non-professional actors drawn from youth groups in neighborhoods such as Colonia Requena, A Thousand Houses, and Virgen del Remedio.
Ramon Guerrero: A Transformation Seen On Screen
As a filmmaker, Salado views the New York screening as a meaningful milestone, highlighting its role as a touchstone for a Spanish neoquinqui cinema tradition. He cites the influence of iconic figures in Spanish film and notes the significance of presenting this work in two major international markets, underscoring the collaborative spirit of the industry.
Bad Ruin and I Drink
During the same cycle, Salado also showcased two shorts produced by his own team. Bad Ruin and I Drink continue the Raising Mice thread, pairing rapid, image-driven storytelling with bold, improvisational performances. Bad Ruin runs for about fifteen minutes, fusing cinema with music video aesthetics and featuring Ramón Guerrero El Cristo along with emerging artist Yung Beef.
I Drink, produced by GrupoIdex and Uniacords, with collaboration from Vórtice Producciones, Wayaba, and Human, was shot in Alicante in 2022. The soundtrack features Uña y Carne, a group connected to Salado. The project again casts Cristo in a leading role, joined by rappers El Costa and El Jincho.
Salado explains that his aim extends beyond entertainment. He aspires to provoke thought and foster a broader conversation around cinema, education, and social work in Spain and now in the United States. He notes that universities of film, marketing, and social work are increasingly studying his work as part of disciplinary conversations and creative curricula.
Neoquinqui and the Vision of Deprived Neighborhoods
The quinqui cinema movement began in 1977, giving a voice to the youth from underprivileged neighborhoods who often became involved in crime as a survival strategy. This historical thread reemerges in the neoquinqui aesthetic, which revisits themes of economic and sexual instability and the ongoing impact of drugs on modern Spanish life. The films use raw, street-level storytelling to illuminate social realities without flinching from difficult truths.