Spanish director Curro Sánchez Varela on his traveling Madrid tribute, 'Voices of a City'

A wandering love note in Madrid directed by local filmmaker Curro Sánchez Varela, "Voices of a City" ("Voces de una ciudad") merges a prominent aesthetic with a charismatic population, which so often blends into the background of photos taken of the bustling metropolis.

The film is a 24-hour package tour through every urban corner, diving into the most integral to any place, with the humans living within its boundaries, providing an immersive insight into the city's history, culture and enduring appeal.

Told by Spanish actress Blanca Portillo ("Maixabel"), the sprawling plans of familiar architecture rubs shoulders with studies very focused on the residents, from the mayor to a famous chef, from taxi drivers to artists and musicians, as well as a most charming retired couple.

Sánchez Varela has "captured and lifted the personal stories of local Madrilenians living their daily lives throughout of the 24-hour journey - coming from all corners of the city….from the Gran Vía to the Rastro to the Madrid Rio…to the City Hall…among others – and highlighted the individual contributions that they add to the fabric of the city, making Madrid the extraordinary capital it is today as it builds for the future,” said James Costos, President of Secuoya Studios, presenting “Voices” at the an Iberseries & Platino Industria preview.

"Voices of a City" was produced by the unscripted department of Secuoya Studios, led by Eduardo Escorial. It won the ethnography and society category at the 6th Festival Terres Travel – Films & Creativity 2022, held in Tortosa, Spain. It also received a Gold Star in the International Category from TV Travel Magazine, awarded at the 22nd The Golden City Gate International Tourism Film Competition.

After presenting the gripping documentary at Iberseries and Platino Industria last week, Varela ("Paco de Lucía : The Search") spoke with Variety about the appeal of Madrid's spaces and faces.

The film seems to include such a diverse group that it fully represents every corner of the city. How did you choose who to profile in the film?

It all started with a creative ping-pong exercise between writers and directors. Everyone spoke wholeheartedly about what Madrid meant to them, sharing that vision. We talked about personal perceptions and experiences and more abstract or historical ideas.

An example: gateways. They were important for one of Barcelona's scriptwriters. When he arrives, he discovers a city with a history of great doors: the Puerta de Alcalá, the Puerta de Hierro and the Puerta de Toledo. He also found a place with half-open doors, where no one asks you where you come from or where you are going. I found this concept fascinating.

As a Madrileño, my main claim was traditional street food, which has existed since time immemorial in the Villa of Madrid. Once we were done adding hundreds and hundreds of ideas, we distilled the best ones and went looking for the characters that best embodied those concepts. These voices of a city had to be demographically balanced, of course.

Can you talk a bit about how you envisioned this movie and how that vision changed as you met the people you wanted to frame in his story?

When we did the initial casting, we interviewed many characters. These exchanges determined part of the shooting. With the retired couple that we see at the beginning, in the Almudena cemetery, we liked the energy they gave off so much that we decided to reuse them at the end, in the Madrid night scene. Tati, the flamenco teacher, also features more prominently in the images than we originally anticipated, as we all fell in love with her.

Many people visit Madrid, eat and walk the streets, but mostly...