Shops turned into film sets: “Moixaines” and the short film “23J”

Barcelona's shops are also serving as the settings for films. Shops can volunteer to be used as film sets, thanks to the “Barcelona Shopping&Shooting” initiative from the Barcelona Commerce Foundation. An idea that combines local commerce with cinema in order to produce short films.

Moixaines, one of the shops taking part in the latest edition of this express film competition, in the heart of Sant Andreu, has been open for three years and apart from selling pet food and accessories, it also offers veterinary and grooming services. The short film made there, entitled "23J", is the work of "Finde Creativo”, and won the Hermes Award for best short film. However, there were a few twists and turns in the process that brought together the shop, the film crew and the story, before everything came together in the end.

Xandra, the owner of Moixaines, is a trader who decided to take part in and cooperate with any initiatives promoting local commerce that are launched in her street, Pons i Gallarza, located close by Carrer Gran de Sant Andreu, and in her neighbourhood. She has also signed up for the “Commerce and Schools” educational programme, and regularly welcomes primary school children in years 3 to 5, who come to find out all about her shop and the work involved in running a business. As her shop deals with pets, they can see how the grooming station, the bath, the veterinary service and the pet accessory parts of the shop are managed.

The "Finde Creativo” film crew is made up of a group of photographers, film students, make-up artists, actors, dramatists, nurses, IT experts, primary-school teachers, designers, media planners, handwriting experts, clowns and showmen and women. And they certainly all like telling stories.

Change of shop

"We'd already been assigned somewhere, but a few days before filming started, the shop location changed, and in the end, the organisers told us we were going to Moixaines. Alfredo Vieira, a member of the technical team and also one of the actors in the short film, told us that the change of location meant they had to write a new script in a very short time, although they found the shop “inspiring”.

The competition rules state that the crews have only five days to film and produce their work, with a theme decided by the organisation. On the first day of filming, they are assigned a word, a different one in each case, which has to be included in their stories. And of course, it all has to be filmed in the participating shops, which in the last edition were in a hundred different shopping districts around the city.

The members of “Finde Creativo” came up with the story they would be telling, presented as a false documentary, with dogs sharing the limelight with the actors. And the word they were given to include in their film? Rancour.

They successfully handled the time limit, eventually winning the Hermes Award for best short film, which was broadcast on the Barcelona TV channel Betevé. They are now considered competition veterans, because in previous editions, this team has also won the awards for Best Director and Best Photography. In the next edition, to be held this year, they will form part of the jury and present a film as invited artists. For her part, Xandra is already working on the stand she is setting up for the Trade Fair, which shops from the Sant Andreu shopping district are holding in the first week of June.

Two of the four animals that appear in the film, two small dogs called Neula and Boira, belong to Xandra. The other two, Sòcia and Chloe, belong to her customers. "The key was the shop's involvement" stressed Alfredo. The filming lasted a whole day, and Xandra made sure everything was in the right place and that the animals didn't get too excited. She is happy with the way the adventure turned out and also calls for more publicity for the shops taking part. And, since we can't tell you any more details about the film, we'll just have to invite you to watch "23J".

Come and see the short film “23J”. By Finde Creatiu. Shop: Moixaines

Winner of the Hermes Award for the best short film in the Barcelona Commerce Foundation's 2017 “Barcelona Shopping&Shooting” competition.