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http://www.victoralexandre.cat/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=550&Itemid=1

Quick translation:

It is simple: Catalan speakers are obliged to be bilingual so that many Spanish-speakers can remain monolingual. Curious bilinguism this. A type of bilinguism that is founded in the principle of laziness: "talk me in my language, so that I don't need to learn yours".

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As something of an update, I now understand that parts of the dialogue in the film are in Catalan anyway. This obviously changes the matter because no film that is either partially or completely in Catalan should need to be dubbed into Spanish.

The Guardian journalist should definitely have made mention of this fact but they obviously chose to follow the wire story more or less to the word, rather than do some actual reporting work. This looks like it's yet another example of the shoddy journalism which now thrives in the UK media. See Flat Earth News.

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For many years, I have applied a method I call “reverse argument”, which implies changing or reversing the descriptors used in the debate. This way, only the facts and the underlying principles are analysed, without the superficial (names on things) being a distraction.

In this case, the attempt to create controversy about the Allen film does reveal how Catalonophobia is rampant amongst the pro-Spanish media.

Every year, there are hundreds (thousands?) of films shown in Catalonia. Of these a minuscule percentage are dubbed or subtitled in Catalan (just a handful of copies with minimum distribution and shown at off-peak times) as well as Spanish.

The overwhelming majority of cinemas only show films that are dubbed or subtitled in Spanish. Only and exclusively in Spanish. This is despite Catalan being the official and native language of Catalonia.

Yet, when there is one film, just one, that it is going to be available for Catalan cinema distribution in Catalan-language only, the pro-Spanish media (where the Guardian’s dude got his cue) creates a massive row.

This is how stupid this debate is: if it is Spanish-only it is alright, normal and non-political. If it is only in Catalan, however, it is discriminatory and a political manoeuvre.
And I thought the silly news season was in the summer…

There is a piece in today’s Avui about this farce:
http://paper.avui.cat/article/dialeg/122737/scarlett/lespanya/decent.html

And in Tribuna.cat:
http://www.tribuna.cat/Cr%F2nica/Cultura_i_mitjans_de_comunicaci%F3/La_caverna_no_vol_que_Woody_Allen_parli_catal%E0/

For translation into English: http://www.translendium.net:8080/home/text.do

The reality of cinema distribution in Catalonia and language discrimination is exposed in this funny video:

http://www.plataforma-llengua.cat/cinema/elsGomis.html

And for a serious analysis of the issue, there is this report:
http://www.plataforma-llengua.cat/doc/cinema.doc (Catalan).

Let’s keep this in mind: one film exclusively in Catalan in Catalonia. Just one.

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