Pol Rodríguez and Isaki Lacuesta will take Max to the Raval

Max Original, next to Arcadia and Supernova, will produce 'Ravalear', a series of six 45-minute episodes created by Pol Rodríguez and directed by Rodríguez himself and Isaki Lacuesta (co-directors of 'Segundo Premio') set in the Raval.

Ravalear is a realistic thriller, inspired by real events that take place in the city of Barcelona and more specifically in the Raval neighborhood, it will feature an ensemble cast starring Enric Auquer, María Rodríguez, Quim Ávila, Sergi López, Francesc Orella, Lluïsa Castell, Alba Guilera and Noor Ul Huda.

The scripts for this series will be written by Isa Campo, Isaki Lacuesta, Edu Sola, Alfred Pérez-Fargas, Roger Danés and Maialen Vélez. The prestigious documentary filmmaker Justin Webster (Death in León, The Pioneer) signs the plot together with the creator of the series, in charge of giving this fiction a realism typical of the documentary genre.

Pol Rodríguez constructs a story inspired by his own family history. Ravaelar tells how, after almost a hundred years of history and three generations, Can Moscas, a long-standing restaurant, esteemed and respected by everyone in the neighborhood and frequented by artists, businessmen and politicians, is under imminent purchase by an investment fund. They want them out of the building as part of their plans to buy property and redevelop the neighborhood. At first, the news plunges the family into despair; They think everything is lost. But shortly after they decide to defend themselves and, with the help of the perfect accomplices, they will fight not to leave the restaurant... even if this means crossing limits that they would never have imagined.

A realist thriller

The series addresses, from a realistic thriller, a local story that transcends universal themes: immigration, real estate speculation, the idiosyncrasy of neighborhoods and the sense of belonging or family relationships, as well as the changes that occur with new generations. It is a story that can be transferred to any big city in the world.

The production will be filmed in various locations in the Raval neighborhood, in Barcelona, as well as in different places in Barcelona, which thus becomes another character in the story. The series is filmed in Spanish, Catalan, Arabic, Urdu and English.

Pol Rodríguez comments that "after having grown up in the world of cinema and living the personal history of our family restaurant, all of this makes me want to explain to the world what is happening in Barcelona, and in many cities around the world, in the only way I know how: through the camera. This is my therapy. I want to show the hidden side of Barcelona. A current story that truthfully reflects some of the great conflicts of our society, but at the same time I want Ravalear be a close and warm story, full of struggle and rebellion. I want to reflect a reality without complexes, full of naturalism, that surprises and captivates us. But I don't want to wallow in the drama, I want to explain this social conflict through a thriller full of suspense, where the tension increases, little by little, until it leads the protagonists to suffocation. A suffocation that will force them to react and hit back.”

Isaki Lacuesta He adds that "I met Pol Rodríguez in Raval, at his family's restaurant, Can Lluís. This was in the late 90s, and my mentor in cinema, Joaquim Jordà, was one of the regulars at the establishment. As in any family business, the young Pol gave the impression of doing everything, and he did it well. Twenty years later, Pol and I were working together on a film, when he explained to me that a fund (one of the many that devastated the cities) had bought the building of the century-old restaurant and they were evicted. It was a blow for the family, for the neighborhood and for the many of us who sometimes went there happily. Nothing else happened. It was not an isolated blow: the same process is happening in cities around the world. That is why I was excited that Pol reacted by writing this thriller. be crushed, fighting the vultures with their own weapons.”

"There is some poetic justice in Pol's return to the place he knows best, the Raval, to portray this neighborhood that is a crossroads, and turn it into a sounding board for the many violences that are marking the cities of the 21st century: abuses of power, expropriations, black and white collar crimes at the same time. As a director, and as a former diner at the Can Lluis restaurant, it is an enormous stimulus to accompany Pol through his Raval, in this criminal thriller that he has imagined with as much intensity as if he had “I would have lived,” he adds.

The series, which will premiere on Max in 2026, has a co-production with 3Cat and UMEDIA (Belgium) and the participation of Max, the support of ICEC and the Creative Europe program MEDIA. Executive production is carried out by Sandra Tapia (Arcadia).