But what does ‘underground’ exactly mean? And where are the boundaries set? Gustavo wanted to explore all that. And he’s been doing so for none less than ten years (ten!) – from 2007 to 2017. He’s interviewed around eighty people from the cultural and nightlife scenes, but in the end, it’s not a panoramic overview what he offers but the very personal narrative of four trans artists: Amanda Lepore, Chloe Dzubilo, Sophia Lamar and T De Long. Rebellious, courageous, resilient and extremely powerful, these characters and their stories stood out the most. But Gustavo doesn’t intervene much: he turns us into voyeurs.
Gustavo comes from Úbeda, a small town in Andalucia (Spain), and despite I’m presenting him as a filmmaker, that’s not what his daily life is about. At least, not entirely. He’s the head of the press and communications department at Sónar Barcelona, an electronic music festival that’s celebrated its 25th anniversary this past June. So as you can see, he’s an unstoppable man committed to making the world a better place through music, cinema, and in the end, through sharing stories that matter and that must draw as much attention and visibility as possible.
I Hate New York is, by far, one of the most interesting films I’ve seen in a long time. Probably because it’s made with few resources and outside the film industry. Gustavo himself tells me that it’s a miracle that it will reach Spanish cinemas on November 9, especially since he’s been pushing the project all by himself for many years. Nevertheless, a lot of people have helped him and collaborated with him as well: from Spanish writer Lucía Etxebarría to the Bayona brothers. And now, the final result is here for you to enjoy.