Graffiti against Filmin for a documentary featuring the police who repressed the 2019 protests

BarcelonaFilmin's editorial director, Jaume Ripoll, has reported that the platform's headquarters in Barcelona was vandalized with graffiti reading "Collaborators with Spanish repression." The message refers to the inclusion of the documentary in their catalog. Icarus: The Week in FlamesThe report, compiled from testimonies of police officers who participated in the violent repression of the 2019 protests against the sentences handed down in the Catalan independence trial, bears the signature NS!*X, which stands for Nosotros Solos (We Alone). This is the same group that takes its name from a nationalist organization from the 1930s and which this summer carried out a similar act against an ice cream shop in the Gràcia neighborhood that refused to serve customers in Catalan. On their Instagram profile, they describe themselves as "young nationalists from the Catalan Countries born from the spirit of 2019." The message's appearance comes after the controversy erupted on social media. Ripoll had responded with a statement attempting to justify his decision: "At Filmin, we are very aware that the events of October 2019 are still an open wound for Catalan society. Therefore, we understand the unease and criticism it has generated. [...] We are a Barcelona-based company, founded in 2007, and our audience is drawn from circles of friends and work environments." The statement provoked numerous critical messages from people linked to the independence movement, such as Antonio Baños, former leader of the CUP party, and Joan Maria Piqué, press officer for Carles Puigdemont when he was President of the Generalitat. Regarding the documentary in question, Ripoll admitted that it "offers a specific, first-hand perspective" and that, therefore, "like any work, it has a point of view and does not pretend to encompass the full complexity of what happened." He emphasized: "Programming a film on Filmin does not equate to endorsing its approach." The platform also emphasized that they have neither produced nor distributed the garment, but rather that it has only been added "for a limited time" to the catalog and will no longer be available on January 31.

"Filmin does not censor films based on their ideological orientation," the statement, signed by Ripoll, continues. "Our commitment is to film and documentary as tools for understanding, comparing, and debating, always within the legal framework." In this sense, they defend the plurality of their catalog, with more than 11,000 titles, some of which stand out for their different perspectives on the issue, such as The next day, Catalonia-Spain, Dead City either Four out of eleven, castle for independenceFinally, they express gratitude for the messages received, which they read "with respect" because they help them "to reflect and improve." And they conclude: "If anything seems important to us right now, it's remembering that cinema shouldn't serve to confirm what we already think, but also to help us confront what makes us uncomfortable, with a critical spirit."

The appearance of the graffiti prompted a new message from Ripoll on social media: "How sad to arrive at the office and find that. Quite a bold move, really."

In his TV review in the ARAMònica Planas wrote: "Fully aware that what you will see is pure propaganda, it is worth watching. With a critical eye, interesting conclusions can be drawn. [...] The musical emotionality is so obvious that it makes you laugh. But there are magnificent images that show the... documentaries about elite units of the American army have narratives of power and control where they boast of their skill and strength,Icarus: The Week in FlamesHis victimhood is almost comical. At times it seems like a parody of...Poland"