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Since 2009 Rohweder has been spending long periods of time in a small village in the province of Guadalajara/Spain. From the coexistence in an almost self-managed community, arise a series of documentaries about typical customs and activities of the village.

The complicity created during the recordings and the extraordinary eagerness of the interviewees, focusing primarily on the voices of the protagonists and without added commentary, create an unusual type of documentation that goes beyond the purely documentary.

still from the video The Tomato Factory

The Tomato Factory, Elisa and Miguel
2011 / 12 min. / 4:3 / Language: Spanish
Premiere: Voces en off, Cruce - arte y pensamiento, Madrid, 2015


The preservation of food for the winter was fundamental for this village, which lived mainly on self-sufficiency and exchange with neighbouring villages.

In this documentary, the protagonists Elisa and Miguel explain step by step the production process of preserves of home-grown tomatoes, from the preparation of the tomatoes and the preserving jars to the bottling.

An artisan work that has been maintained to this day and is part of the culture of the village during the summer harvest months.

still from the video The Water

The Water of Tortuero, Nano de Miguel
2012 / 12 min. / 4:3 / Language: Spanish
Premiere: Voces en off, Cruce - arte y pensamiento, Madrid, 2015


One of the singularities of the village is the self-management of the community water for the irrigation of the vegetable gardens. This year, Nano de Miguel was in charge of the water supply for the gardeners.

He shows us how the tap works, details the distribution agreement, explains the channelling system and recalls the changes that have taken place over the last few decades.

Together we follow the course of the water from the barrier lake to the village where the canal branches off to supply each garden with the necessary water.

still from the video The Church

The Church of Tortuero, Piedad Gamo Moreno
2012 / 14 min. / 4:3 / Language: Spanish
Premiere: Casa del Horno, Tortuero

The church of Tortuero stands out in the landscape, evidencing by its almost excessive size a relevance that the village had in the past and which has now been lost.

Over the last few decades, many changes have been made to the interior and exterior of the church, which Piedad Gamo describes through her own memories or through the memories passed down by her ancestors.

Piedad knows every detail and gives us a guided tour including a description of the customs as well as the dates of public holidays that still govern the calendar of the village.

still from the video The Bees

The Bees of Antonio and Paca
2013 / 42 min. / 4:3 / Language: Spanish
Premiere: Casa del Horno, Tortuero


Antonio's father was the first in the village to start exploiting honey, building the first beehives himself, which were later distributed along with the bee colonies among his children.

The video starts with the preparation steps: the eve of the honey harvest including explanations of the tools and the preferences of the bees and continues with the filming of the harvest. Days later Antonio and Paca take the last step of the process: the fishing of the wax and the filling into jars of the honey.

An exciting adventure that is repeated every year both for the more experienced ones like Antonio and his cousin Ramón and for the artist who took part in a honey harvest for the first time.