Complaints on one street turned into a Roland Garros shooting court

Filming is booming in Barcelona, ​​with three out of every four shots of scenes from films, series and commercials being in Catalonia. The capital collects registrations (7,164 permits in 2022, the last year with available data) and the city council collects a growing collection (537,090 euros in 2022, a record so far), although the distribution is sometimes a nuisance to neighbours, either Because of the saturation of shooting in the same area or because of the requirements that the scenario imposes on us to occupy the street.

Pedralbes was one of the last neighborhoods to feel disturbed by the filming. One of its arteries has been transformed into a Parisian boulevard with the road and part of the sidewalk covered in mud, like the Roland Garros tennis court. The preparation was due to the location of the Renault car, which raised dust and criticism.

“There are many recordings, but it was never like this before. This time it was unbearable,” protested the president of the Pedralbes Residents' Association, Luis Sanglas. He explains that the scenes were recorded last Sunday, February 11, at the top of Avinguda de Pedralbes Street, between the Cro de Pedralbes Park and the Carrer de Cavaliers. The street changed its name for a day: as part of the decoration, some signs changed the name of the street to Acacia Street. It is a street that actually exists in Paris and where the Roland Garros pilot lived, which gave its name to the famous tennis tournament.

Sanglas testifies that he received “many complaints” from area residents during the Sunday in which the scenes were recorded: “They had the neighborhood closed down all day. La Creu de Pedralbes Street was closed, as well as de Pedralbes Street.” 4 p.m., but neighbors say they took longer than expected. Aside from the street being closed, there was noise and dust. The stands were full of dirt. A neighbor told me that he had to wash the dogs because they were filled with dirt.”

The city council responded that the recording had permission. He explains that the film crew began sweeping on time, but the winds that blew that afternoon did not exactly help and caused the street cut to extend longer than expected.

Invoice for the product

Workers warned that the winds lifted and pulled the ground, complicating the tasks to keep the section free of pollution. They requested assistance from the municipality's cleaning team. The council says a team was sent, which still found traces of dust on the street the next morning. Exceptional services will be paid to those responsible for photography. The council adds that it received several complaints during the day. In any case, he adds, the license has been complied with.

Sanglas revealed the upset last week to the Pedralbes Neighborhood Council. “City Council posters advertising the shooting are currency in the neighbourhood, but this time they had to be informed by letter that it would be different,” he says. “The announcement meant that trailers and tents were blocking the streets. Neighbor after neighbor called us and because they couldn’t get out, they Close the street.”