The Giant
of Es Vedrà
and other fairy tales
THE GIANT OF ES VEDRÀ AND OTHER FAIRY TALES
A film based in Joan Castelló Guasch writings
What are the Ibizan Fairy Tales?
The Ibizan Fairy Tales are short popular stories that, for hundreds of years, have been passed down orally from parents to children. Writer Joan Castelló was the main promoter, through several volumes, of the literary compilation of these popular tales.It was a work very similar to that carried out by the Brothers Grimm in 19th century Germany, with Hänsel and Gretel, Cinderella or Snow White. Another good example would be the Amazonian legends or the magical stories of India.
The Ibizan Fairy Tales are stories that mix magical elements and everyday life through universal plots that are intended to entertain the younger audience. It should be noted that, although these stories take place in Ibiza, they contain universal situations and characters that can be identified throughout the world. Without being excessively manichean, these tales have a slight moralizing tone that differentiates between good and evil.
Our proposal consists of the film adaptation of three of these Ibizan Fairy Tales: All Hallows’ Eve, The Skulls of Can Fita, and The Giant of Es Vedrà. These three stories contain all the virtues of Joan Castelló’s work: historical, cultural, and family values, fantastic elements, and large doses of entertainment.
Synopsis
During a visit to the apartment her parents intend to rent, ten-year-old Agnes establishes contact with the former owner of the house, writer Joan Castelló Guasch, who died in 1984. Castelló tells the little girl three wonderful Ibizan legends:
Night of All Hallows, which follows the adventures of Pep Manyà, a forty-year-old man whose only hobby is fishing.
The skulls of Can Fita, the tragic story of two generations of a family haunted by a terrible curse.
The Giant of Es Vedrà, the amazing adventure of two children who travel to a mysterious islet inhabited by an evil giant.
TITLE
The Giant of es Vedrà And Other Fairy Tales
GENRE
Fantasy, adventure
FORMAT
Fiction Feature Film
DURATION
78 minuts
AUDIENCE
For All Audiences
Once upon a time…
There was an Ibizan writer, born in 1911, who worked for all the newspapers on the island and wrote many books. He was always politically committed and showed it with the arrival of the Second Republic.
For example, he promoted a series of initiatives and also wrote social criticism articles. In addition, he participated in the Spanish Civil War, fighting in Asturias and in the Battle of the Ebro.
As he lived in Mallorca for many years and loved very much his island of birth, he promoted everything related to Ibiza, publishing cookbooks, travel books and, above all, the Ibizan Fairy Tales. With them, he immortalized the stories and legends that have been passed down from parents to children for generations.
Everyone at school knows Joan Castelló Guasch’s literary work and the magic of his fairy tales lives on in the imagination of all Ibizans.
