City of the Dead

“A fierce look into the banality of death.”
M.J. Doxa

“A warm and fear-taming portrait of the human condition.”
Bianca-Olivia Nita. Modern Times Review

“A must see. Not recommendable for those with heart problems.”
Jennifer Hammersmark. Medium.

Synopsis

“City of the Dead” is a documentary about death, construed by the living. Its protagonists are people who face death every day and that have found another way to understand it. Biel, the watchman; José, the sales & commercial agent; David and Sergio, the morticians; Jaume and Mohammed, the gardeners; José Luis, the crematorium operator; and Manuela, the cleaner, all work at the Palma cemetery. By exploring their interactions, sometimes dramatic, sometimes comical, we not only discover the unknown world of death, but also the personal stories of its inhabitants.

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Director’s note

Over the last few years I have visited several funeral homes and crematoria to say farewell to family, friends and other acquaintances. Quite often, to my surprise, the deceased weren’t the protagonists. At these events, people wouldn’t speak about death or the deceased, but rather about any other subject that was more known or pleasant. In a society that seems to always be in a rush, in which youth and success prevail, death continues being a taboo that generates a silent curiosity in the shape of confronted feelings. As spaces for death, cemeteries and funeral parlors, produce in people contradictory reactions: fascination, prejudice and unease. They are affronted places, though also poetic. With this documentary, I delve deeper in this fascinating subject by addressing those who deal with death on a daily basis.

Title: Ciudad de los Muertos
International title: City of the Dead
Genre: Documentary
Runtime: 56 min / 61 min
Source Format: 16:9 AppleProRes422HQ Master
Format: AppleProRes422 and H264
Original Language: Spanish and Catalan
Subtitles available: English and French
Filming Location: Palma de Mallorca Production
Year: 2019 Production
Company: Mosaic Producciones
Co-produced by: IB3 Televisió de les Illes Balears
With the support of: Consell de Mallorca, Institut d’Estudis Balearics, Illes Balears Film Commission and Palma City Council
International Sales: 3BoxMedia Distribution
Agent Festivals: Movies for festivals

Direction and Screenplay: Miguel Eek
Production Director: Marta Castells
Production Assistant: Virginia Galán
Camera Operators: Edu Biurrun, Jan Hernandez, Pablo Bohigas, Joan Vidal & Bosco Llona
Direct Sound: Carlos Novoa
Sound Design: Rubén Pérez
Film Editor: Aina Calleja
Color Grading: Jaume Alcina
Graphic & Poster Design: Eduard Bagur