Votemos, a Spanish comedy built around a single residents’ meeting, opens at Tel Aviv Cinematheque on October 8. The film will also screen at Movieland cinemas and other venues across Israel, in Spanish with Hebrew and English subtitles.
A vote on the elevator becomes a debate about a new neighbor
The residents of an apartment building in central Madrid gather at Alberto’s home to approve a budget for replacing the elevator. Just as the meeting appears to be over, Alberto says he has rented his apartment to a man with a mental health condition. The announcement keeps everyone in the room, as anxieties turn into prejudices, accusations and unexpectedly personal revelations.
The real case behind the film
Writer-director Santiago Requejo developed the story after hearing in 2020 about a woman who lost an apartment she was about to rent when the prospective neighbors pressured the landlord after learning of her diagnosis. The case first became a roughly 14-minute short film, Votamos, which received a Goya nomination and made the Oscar shortlist for Best Live Action Short Film.
The short later inspired a stage play and this 87-minute feature. The cast includes Clara Lago, Raul Fernandez de Pablo, Tito Valverde, Gonzalo de Castro, Neus Sanz, Christian Checa, Charo Reina and Pepe Carrasco.
The story is also playing at the Cameri Theatre
An Israeli adaptation of the play is currently on stage at Tel Aviv’s Cameri Theatre. David Bilenca and director Roni Brodetsky relocated the characters and the building meeting to Israel, giving local audiences two versions of the same social comedy: one on screen at the Cinematheque and another on stage.
Requejo consulted psychiatrists from several mental health centers while developing the original short. In the feature, a younger resident is the one person who looks for information instead of relying only on assumptions, while the adults remain entrenched in their fears.
Votemos: From October 8 at Tel Aviv Cinematheque and cinemas across Israel. Spain, 2025, 87 minutes, in Spanish with Hebrew and English subtitles.
Also on Telavivi: Tel Aviv Cinematheque’s September program.
