Following his TV series, filmmaker John Wilson looks to New York’s concrete—the world’s most used building material—for inspiration. He sets out to make the definitive documentary on the subject, using the Hallmark formula to boost its appeal. But his foundation soon crumbles—literally and figuratively—as he struggles to balance artistic freedom with the realities of the film industry.
John Wilson returns to DocsBarcelona after his 2024 appearance to present his first feature film, premiered at Sundance 2026. True to his unmistakable style, he invites us on an unusual journey between the concrete world and the film industry, exploring unpredictable paths and bringing out a humor born from the director’s intuition and keen observation. A work that oscillates between delirium and melancholy, achieving a balance that only Wilson is capable of.
*Director in attendance
+ Q&A
Tuesday
12/05
20:00 h
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Mooby Aribau | Sala 5
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Sundance 2026
CPH:DOX 2026
Best friends Cuba and Alaska, wisecracking medics on Ukraine’s frontline, live the same battlefield story as all soldiers: slowly losing connections with friends, family and their previous lives the longer they stand up for Ukraine. With war so deeply rooted in them, can the two ever go back to the life they used to know?
The screening will be followed by the Focus on Ukraine activity.
Often referred to as the African Che Guevara, Amílcar Cabral led the anti-colonial movement in Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde against Portuguese colonialism until his murder in 1973. Human rights, utopias, interracial love, ambition, war, and betrayal are the ingredients of this free portrait crafted with archival images and an imaginary diary in 16mm film.
Writer Mariana Enriquez embarks on a journey along the Costa Brava to explore its most enigmatic corners and write a paranormal guide, confronting ghost stories, myths, and superstitions while revealing, with humor and intimacy, her own obsession with fear and the unknown.
Teatres de Campanya_Interferència documentada: Trajecte audiovisual del primer rocam is a commission by Marc Salicrú to Jordi Boquet about the 3rd action at FiraTàrrega: an incursion by the Brigades of Popular Confusion before thousands. A city concert with over 350 participants (bands, firefighters, buses…) that shattered urban liturgy into a procession toward collective ecstasy.
Carles Santos performs some of his pieces on the piano. Film made for the exhibition about Carles Santos Visca el Piano!, held at the Fundació Miró in Barcelona during the summer of 2006.
This short film is part of the session Acció Portabella (no al no).
This film, commissioned by the College of Architects of Catalonia for Joan Miró’s retrospective exhibition in 1969, sparked strong controversy over whether it was appropriate to screen it during the exhibition. Portabella’s position was: “either both planned films are screened or none,” and ultimately both Miró l’altre and Aidez l’Espagne were shown. The film was made by combining archival footage from the Spanish Civil War with Miró’s prints from the Barcelona series (1939–1944). The film ends with the artist’s pochoir titled Aidez l’Espagne.
This short film is part of the session Acció Portabella (no al no).
Jordi, a 78-year-old widower, lives with his parrot, Pitu, and the loneliness of grief. Everything changes when he begins interacting with an AI, which he calls Nil. Their daily conversations give meaning to his days and have resulted in fifteen books. A tender portrait of aging, loss, and new forms of friendship in a digital world.
Las casas en mí follows musician Leon Guallart in a historic debut, touring 40 icons of 20th-century architecture. Beyond the milestone, the film strips away the romanticism of success to reveal the financial risk, uncertainty, and solitude of pursuing an artistic endeavor. An honest journey about ambition, identity, and the determination required to accomplish an impossible project.
The screening will be followed by “Music performance: Leon Guallart“.
A woman walks barefoot over a rocky outcrop, somewhere by the sea. Who is she, and
what is she doing there? Is it a meditation, an act of penance, defiance
perhaps? Or a gesture of love? Director Victor Kossakovsky offers a cinematic and wordless
interpretation of the myth of Sisyphus in Trillion, the second
installment of his “empathy trilogy” that began with Gunda (2020).
Abandonados, a case by Carles Porta, revisits one of the most unsettling episodes in recent Spanish history. Forty years after being abandoned at a train station in Barcelona, three siblings embark on an investigation to uncover their identity and their past. Through testimonies, archival material, and a long-term investigation, the work reflects on memory, identity, and the search for truth. Original documentary series by Hulu for Disney+.
Screening of the first episode.
The film is part of the feature-length Hay Motivo, made up of 32 short films directed by Spanish filmmakers and actors opposing the policies of the Popular Party just before the 2004 elections. In Portabella’s contribution, physics professor Pedro Arrojo addresses the urgent need for a new water culture.
