After its premiere at Almería FICAL festival, short documentary The Concierge will compete in the Official Selection of  32º Aguilar de Campoo Film Festival, 4th – 13th of December. 

“Cristian is convinced he’s a superhero” Carmen says of her husband, a concierge who continues working when Spain goes into national lock-down in March 2020 due to Covid-19.

The film follows Cristian Alemán, a concierge passionate about his job and driven to help people. In the microcosm of the building where he works in Barcelona we discover how the neighbours, mostly elderly men and women, are experiencing the pandemic. Cristian shops for those who can’t leave their homes and cleans the building to stop the virus spreading. He also encourages residents to confront the hardship with a positive attitude, “with respect for the virus, but without fear“.

His attitude to the crisis clashes with his wife Carmen’s growing fears: she is scared. Carmen works in a hospital but is on leave because she is at high risk of infection due to diabetes and is struggling to cope. She has seen first-hand the devastation the virus can cause; her co-worker died after becoming infected.  She wasn’t able to say goodbye or go to his funeral.

The Concierge is the latest film from award-winning directors Marcel Mettelsiefen and Mayte Carrasco whose recent projects include the documentary series: Afghanistan, the Wounded Land for NDR, ARTE and Al Jazeera.  Previous work by Mettelsiefen has been nominated for an Oscar by the Hollyword Academy and has been awarded with two Baftas and three Emmys.  Carrasco has received a number of awards including Best Foreign Correspondent (CIP) and the IRIS Award (Academia de Televisión y de las Ciencias y las Artes) for her coverage of the war in Syria.

The Concierge will be available to watch on the Aguilar Festival’s channel on Filmin from 4th to 13th December and on the Movistar platform in Spain.   Visit Aguilar de Campoo’s website for more details.