Quan no acaba la nit’ is a hymn to friendship in the middle of the legendary and infamous ‘Ruta de Bakalao’. Óscar Montón’s first feature film features a young  cast and the collaboration of the legendary Chimo Bayo. Valencian cinema continues to disembark at the 38th Mostra de València, this time with the premiere by Óscar Montón, which was presented yesterday (October 22nd) to a packed audience as the Palau de la Música as part of ‘La Mostra’ film festival’s Special Sessions.

Montón presented his first feature-length fiction film to capture the essence and spirit of the so-called ‘Ruta del Bakalao’: “The film tells the story of the experiences of a group of friends from the Cabanyal neighbourhood who start going out partying in the 80s and go out to the Valencian discotheques to then make a leap in time (of sorts) and see their subsequent evolution”.

The director, who made the documentary ’72 Horas…Y València fue la ciudad’ (2008), takes us with this film back to a time when music, nightlife and popular culture placed Valencia at the summit of club music. But the ‘Ruta’ was more than just nights of partying, excesses and debauchery, it was also a social phenomenon, which is still being studied today. “I wanted to revive an era, but through a story that puts values such as friendship and family in a social context.”

“I lived the ‘La Ruta’ up close and I wanted to make a social portrait of the València of those years, telling the story of these kids and how we lived without mobile phones, or how young people had fun, in the arcades, pubs, car parks…”, says the director. A time when “discos had their dangers, just like the roads”.

A time that is far removed from the young cast that gives life to the characters in this film: Álex Peral, Sergio Castillo, Roberto Hoyo, Juanma Fernández, Álex Monterde and Carla Pascual. To embody them, say two of the main characters, Martín Domenech and the actress Álex Monterde, they had to research the customs and fashions of the so-called “movida valenciana”, “to know how people danced, the type of music they listened to, how people socialised…”, they add.

The film also has the special participation of Chimo Bayo, a substantial figure of the time, who plays the role of “the Dutchman”, which has little to do with his participation in that music scene as a DJ. “His character serves as a link between the groups of friends, as he is a rocker who owns a discotheque. Working with Chimo was great, as he always acted in a very humble way, dedicated to his work, serious and with a lot of passion”, says Montón.

The locations, in legendary discotheques such as Spook and Masia, have been fundamental in the film. It was filmed entirely on location in the Valencian Community, such as the Cabanyal neighbourhood, and with a soundtrack full of electronic classics from the Bakalao Route by groups such as Anne Clark, Immaculate Fools, The Chameleons, Comité Cisne, Megabeat, Double Vision and The Molestones.

The film hits the screens next Friday after a period in which the phenomenon has been revalued with books, studies and also with a well-known television series that is already preparing its second season. Montón assures that “it’s a project I’ve been working on for ten years, I got the grants for this script in 2016”. Actress Alex Monterde stresses in this regard: “It is important that the stories of Valencia are told by people from here”.

The 38th Mostra de València-Cinema del Mediterrani is organised by the València City Council with the collaboration of the Institut Valencià de Cultura (IVC), the Palau de la Música, Barreira Arte + Diseño and À Punt Mèdia as official media.

Report by 24/7 Valencia team

Article copyright 24/7 Valencia

More info about ‘La Mostra’ film festival: https://lamostradevalencia.com/en/