Jaume Carrió: "Denying climate change is a negligence, a stupidity too great"

PalmaThe Majorcan filmmaker Jaume Carrió presents at the Palma Mountain Film Festival The images arrived on time, a six-minute short film that combines archival footage and documentary essay to reflect on loss, memory, and the way society preserves memories in the face of natural disasters.

How was The images arrived on time born?

It is a very special film because it was born from a commission, something that does not usually happen to me, because I am a person very jealous of the few ideas I have and I do not usually open myself to the possibility of taking on commissions. After the 2024 Valencia DANA, the Esporles City Council asked me for a video for a fundraising event to help those affected. They proposed that I compile images of the disaster, but I wanted to take the idea into my own territory and make a piece in the form of a documentary essay. I connected Esporles with the tragedy through a reflection on how audiovisual formats condition our way of looking at images. I had never signed a documentary work as a director. The good reception made me see that I had something more than a video for YouTube on my hands: a film that could make people think and generate debate.

During the documentation you found an image that gave a personal meaning to the project. What happened?

The documentation work was done with very little time and against the clock. Reviewing images of the 2007 Esporles floods, I discovered that my grandfather appeared in them, who had died a few months earlier, talking about that disaster. This find reopened the grief and unconsciously included him in the narrative. Usually, we record knowing what we want to tell, but here I was working with images recorded without knowing what meaning they would have later. The work consisted of rereading that archive material and giving it a new life.

What can documentary cinema contribute in the face of a reality like climate change?

I believe that a documentary should open the door to reflection, not provide closed answers. It must present a situation so that everyone can ask themselves questions and seek their own path. This film has made even me reflect, and I am the first spectator of my own work. It is the shortest short film I have ever made and also the one that has received the most enthusiastic and grateful response from the audience. It surprises me that a piece of only six minutes can generate so many questions.

What would you like the viewer to take away after watching it?

That denying climate change is a negligence, a stupidity too great. And that fighting against its effects is a collective responsibility, not just of those who govern. It is easy to point out what institutions or politicians are doing wrong, but we must also look at what we can do ourselves. The small acts of each person are more important than waiting for someone to provide a solution. Furthermore, documentary cinema is best enjoyed in community, because it allows for sharing questions and opening a debate. That is why a festival like this makes sense.