On an Island

Utilizing the impressionistic techniques of IN THE CITY OF SYLVIA (if SYLVIA was a riff on the “city film,” the more miniaturized MEMORIES might be termed a “street-corner film”), Guerín uses a disturbing incident in his Barcelona neighborhood to thread together a rich tapestry on music, culture, community, the fragility of life, and the tenacity of life.

A man returns to a city to try to track down a lovely woman he met six years earlier.

On returning from class, a teacher is questioned by his wife, who distrusts his pedagogic project: an “Academy of the Muses” inspired by classical references, which is supposed to contribute to regenerating the world through poetry. The controversial project triggers a series of situations dominated by words and desire.

Collection of documentary shorts by various acclaimed directors

José Luis Guerín's great short film from 1986.

In the Mediterranean port of Barcelona two young unemployed girls living in a renovation area drift around the city desperately looking for a job.

A series of video letters between José Luis Guerín and Jonas Mekas.

Filmmaker José Luis Guerin documents his experience during a year of traveling as a guest of film festivals to present his previous film. What emerges is a wonderfully humane and sincere portrayal of the people that he meets when he goes off the beaten track in some of the world's major cities.