Tempo

340 million years ago, in the O Courel,something amazing happened: two continental plates collided, Galicia was born. Neglect, large scale mining and the plundering of the forest are devastating this ecosystem. Today this unique natural landscape, which boasts a cultural and geological heritage of international interest is under threat.

Director Manuel Valcárcel was born in Monforte de Lemos in the spring of 1975. From the age of 14 he shows a great interest in photography, and shortly after he began studying at the Ramón Falcón School of Arts in Lugo. After completing his studies he began his professional career in the world of TV, which will take him to travel around the world covering conflicts such as the Iraq war or major sporting events such as the World Cup in Germany. Also historical moments like the US elections in 2008 where Obama proclaims president, the Tsunami of Japan or the funeral of Nelson Mandela. However, the making of documentaries on the human condition in different places like Palestine, Colombia or India, have influenced to a large extent his more personal creations. At the same time, during this period he discovered his passion for the mountains and embarked on several expeditions, the Moroccan Altlas, the Bolivian Andes or the Himalayas. His restless spirit, his eagerness to travel to distant places and his interest in discovering different cultures have led him to realize several projects that are inscribed within the documentary photography. In his first photographic project "Nómadas", it crosses the five continents in search of the last nomadic towns of the planet. In a similar vein we highlight "Water, the blood of the Earth", a didactic project that addresses the problem of water in the world. And among the most recent projects "Return to Origin", it describes a contemporary pilgrimage from Jerusalem to Santiago de Compostela. The diffusion of these projects has been made through publishing publications and exhibitions by the main capitals of the world. With the intention of continuing training, in 2011 the postgraduate degree in Cinematographic Photography Management at ESCAC. At the end of these studies, Manuel returns to Galicia to make his first documentary feature TEMPO.