Little Spain: A Century of History
A documentary by Arthur Balder. 59 minutes. Filmed at La Nacional, 239 West 14th Street, New York.
Little Spain is a documentary that offers, alongside second-generation Spanish-American and Hispanic-American testimonies of what the neighbourhood called Little Spain was like in the heart of Manhattan in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s — also, and more importantly, a unique and fascinating archive that gives a clear, well-documented view of those decades and their precedents.
The research unveiled a treasure trove of old photographs and other documents. These photographs are copyrighted material and can only be seen in this film.
Robert Sanfiz, president of La Nacional in Manhattan, tells the history of that Spanish social and meeting point himself, and also reads the voice-over. Eight residents and members of the Society give their testimony on camera.
The film took several years of work on different levels. It was filmed between 2009 and 2010, while the director was artist-in-residence at La Nacional, and released in 2011.
What the film documents
Trailer — “Little Spain”, 59 minutes.
The Spanish colony of 14th Street — its shops, its restaurants, its church and its procession. La Nacional, the Spanish Benevolent Society founded in 1868, from inside the building itself. The Centro Vasco Americano, founded in 1913. The Galician community that made up much of the neighbourhood. Federico García Lorca, who lived at La Nacional for between two and five months. Joaquín Sorolla, who donated a portrait to the Society.
The final episode is a surrealist epilogue in homage to Lorca, with a reading from Poeta en Nueva York.
Awards and selections
The film won the Latin ACE Award (Premios ACE, by the Association of Latin Entertainment Critics of New York) in 2015 for Best Documentary Film of 2014.
It was part of the Official Selection DOCUFICX of the Gijón International Film Festival in 2015, a FIAPF specialized cinematic competition, and screened in several theatres across Asturias.
Reviews
“Little Spain is a kind of masterpiece, in that it masters its subject matter even as it shows Balder’s mastery of his medium.”
Donald Kuspit, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Art History and Philosophy, State University of New York at Stony Brook — published by El Cultural, La Voz Hispana de Nueva York and The Huffington Post
“A valuable addition to New York’s immigration history. Arthur Balder’s magnifying-glass perspective serves to build an original story arc.”
Rafael Bernal, United Press International, 15 January 2015
“Arthur Balder presenta Little Spain en un largo y minucioso reportaje. El mejor regalo que he tenido estas Navidades.”
José María Carrascal, ABC, 5 January 2015
How to get it
The film is issued on DVD. For fifteen years it was available only under institutional licence; the individual edition is now available at $30 plus $6 shipping, the same rate to the United States and to Spain.
Libraries and universities: see Libraries & Universities for licence terms, or write to dvd@littlespainfilm.com.