The Filmoteca de Andalucía, part of the Department of Culture and Sports, has premiered ‘Gran Redada Gitana. Historia de un genocidio’, the latest documentary by the Sevillian filmmaker Pilar Távora. The screening, in a special session, took place at an event held at the Cine Cervantes, the headquarters of the Filmoteca de Andalucía in Seville, and was attended by the Minister of Culture and Sports, Patricia del Pozo.
Of all the persecutions suffered in the 600 years of the Gypsy people’s presence in Andalusia, «the most cruel and, at the same time, the least known, was this great confinement of the mid-eighteenth century,» stated Minister Patricia del Pozo.
The Minister of Culture of the Andalusian Government highlighted the courage of the Sevillian filmmaker, who has a long history of defending Andalusia and its culture, «to break this shameful silence and forgetfulness.» Pilar Távora, awarded the Manuel Clavero Andalusia Medal in 2023, is «one of the most vindicating and free voices, as well as one of the most necessary, of our land,» she affirmed.
In this production, Pilar Távora, one of the very few Gypsy directors and producers in Spanish cinema, addresses the tragic events of 1749, when over 10,000 Gypsies were detained, separated from their families, and sentenced to forced labor or imprisonment by order of Fernando VI. The documentary aims to shed light on one of the greatest injustices committed against the Gypsy people in Spain in a historically silenced episode and features the participation of professional experts and Gypsy activists.
With the presentation of this documentary, the Department of Culture and Sports joins the celebrations of the International Day of the Gypsy People, commemorated on April 8, marking 600 years since the arrival of the Gypsies to the Iberian Peninsula. The screening was attended by numerous representatives from Gypsy associations and groups, as well as public officials.
Historical Context
The Great Raid was an operation organized by King Fernando VI and his minister, the Marquis of Ensenada, with the aim of exterminating the Gypsy population in Spain. Under the pretext of «cleansing» the country, between 10,000 and 12,000 Gypsies were captured (almost 1% of the Gypsy population at the time) without any kind of trial or formal accusation.
The men were sent to work as slaves in arsenals (such as the Carraca in Cádiz and La Coruña) and mines (such as those in Almadén), while women and children were separated and locked up in houses of mercy and prisons, where most died due to inhuman conditions. «It was a biological extermination,» stated Távora, «they separated families, took away all their belongings, and left them in absolute misery». The filmmaker compared this episode to other historical genocides, as it left a deep mark of vulnerability and fear in Gypsy society. «They left them in misery,» added the filmmaker.
Prior to this documentary, Pilar Távora had already shown interest in the culture, history, and marginalization of the Gypsy people in works such as ‘Helios Gómez. Ink and Ammunition’, about the figure of this important activist and creator of Gypsy culture, or the documentary series ‘Andalusian Gypsies’, which she produced for Canal Sur.