Pollença turns the memory of the Patron Saint into a film story

PollençaAbout fifty people have participated in the creation of The Last Day of May: The Other Heroes, a short film linked to the events of May 31, 1550, and premiered this week in Pollença as part of the events leading up to the Patrona festival. The production, directed by Martí Pallicer, recovers a lesser-known part of that historical episode and focuses on characters who, despite having existed, are not part of the most popular narrative of the festival.

The project combines fiction and historical rigor, and has been made possible thanks to the involvement of local residents, organizations, students, technicians, and businesses. With a limited budget and a very tight filming schedule, the result is one of the most ambitious audiovisual productions made in Pollença about its own history.

The other protagonists of May 31st

The short film is set during the so-called night of misfortune, when Turgut Reis's troops attacked Pollença on the night of May 30-31, 1550. However, instead of focusing on Joan Mas or the great names traditionally associated with La Patrona, the piece gives prominence to other figures.

“The other heroes because Joan Mas, Dragut, or any of the classics of La Patrona don't appear. They are other heroes who really existed”, explains Pallicer. The basis of the project is the historical research of Josep Paparrí, who for years has studied the facts and names linked to that episode.

Pallicer remarks that the short film is not a documentary, but a historical fiction. However, he insists that it starts from a documented basis. “The basis of the facts is indeed rigorous and historical. There is a part of creativity and fiction, but many of the names that appear are real names”, he points out.

The project also has an editorial derivative, with a book of the same title that expands the story and provides more context. According to Pallicer, the short film and the book tell the same story, but from different formats. The short film, nine minutes and fifty seconds long, concentrates the action in a very short time.

A low-resource shoot

The production was shot practically in a single day, with some additional shots recorded on a second day. Pallicer defines the process as a "guerrilla" shoot, marked by a lack of budget and the need to adapt to the team's capabilities.

"I had to shoot it in one day because everyone was an amateur. We didn't have the resources of a professional production and we had to move much faster than would be usual," recalls the director.

Despite these limitations, the short includes careful technical work. Adrià Cuadrado was in charge of the photography direction and color; Joan Ramis, of the sound, music, and sound post-production; and Pallicer himself took on the direction, script, editing, and part of the post-production. "We had very small and very few resources, but I think it turned out to be an ambitious product," he summarizes.

A production made by many

The director insists that the short film is not understood without the participation of many people from the municipality. Amateur actors, extras, students, associations, companies, and individuals have collaborated in different phases of the process.

“This film was not made by Martí Pallicer. This film was made by fifty people who got together and, with great enthusiasm and few resources, got the job done”, he states.

The production has received the support of the 31 de Maig Association, the Pollença Museum, the parish, the Roger Villalonga Foundation, the Colonya Foundation, the Pollença City Council, and various local businesses. There have also been collaborations in costumes, props, historical weapons, spaces, and logistics.

“Everything has been facilities. Everyone has said yes”, assures Pallicer. “I am super happy and super proud of the support so many people have given us”.

One of the most important jobs was that of the costumes, by Marga Seguí. The challenge was to recreate the atmosphere of the mid-16th century without a large budget. “We have tried to ensure that there were no historical blunders and that everything seen on screen was plausible within the context of 1550”, explains the director.

From the open casting to the protagonists

The cast combines amateur actors with more experienced profiles. One of the most curious additions was that of Joan Martorell, a journalist from Pollença, who had initially only accompanied his daughter to the casting and ended up taking on one of the main roles. "I say we have discovered a star," comments Pallicer.

Also participating are Joan Lluís Tomàs, Margalida Bennassar, Joan Serra Vila, Guillem de l’Encruia and other neighbours. Pallicer particularly highlights the work of Caterina Tugores, an acting student at ESADIB, who, in addition to acting, helped the rest of the cast prepare the scenes.

An audiovisual look at local history

The last day of May arrives at a time when Pollença continues to reinforce the memory of May 31st beyond the festive celebration. According to Pallicer, it is surprising that so few audiovisual productions have been made so far about such an important episode for the municipality.

“It is surprising that so little audiovisual material has been produced about such an important date for Pollença”, he reflects.

The short film has already been screened at the Fundació Roger Villalonga and another session will be held this Saturday. For the moment, it is not planned to upload it to platforms like YouTube or Vimeo, as the promoters want to regularize the registration and rights of the piece first.

With this production, Pollença not only recovers a part of its history, but does so with a new format and with very broad participation from the town. The result is a brief audiovisual proposal, but with a clear intention to record facts and characters that are part of the collective memory of Pollença.