La roca

In 1969 the only fascist dictator who survived WWII, Francisco Franco of Spain, closed the entrance to the British colony of Gibraltar, isolating 30.000 people without food, water, or telephone lines. In his words, ‘if Gibraltar is not returned to Spain, everybody should starve to death’. ‘La roca’ is an epic Romeo & Juliet-type love story between the massive Rock Of Gibraltar and its neighbouring Spanish city of La Linea. Despite being declared enemies by their countries, the people of both cities depended on each other, got married and lived happily with their bilingual children. They used to be inseparable. Eventually, Franco’s propaganda forced the separation of thousands of mixed families. Over 13 years families met at the border every Sunday to look through binoculars at their estranged lovers, brothers, parents and babies – screaming, ‘Daddy loves you’ from a distance.