Rocío

Set against the backdrop of the Rocío Pilgrimage in Almonte, Fernando Ruiz Vergara’s only finished feature explores the origins of the phenomenon, revealing the economic, socio-political and religious interests that fuel it—while also documenting the rural life of this community and the intersections between sacred and profane rituals. Rocío became the first film to be subject to judicial censorship following Spain’s transition to democracy, a fact that led Vergara to go into exile in Portugal, in a village in Castelo Branco, where he lived until his death. To this day, the full screening of the film remains banned on Spanish territory.