» Taos filmmaker Krystina Siebenaler reports from Spain
EVERYTHING WAS GOING AS PLANNED. At the end of 2019, I had it all set up. I had sublet my apartment in Taos, and returned to Barcelona for the opportunity of a lifetime – to work on a documentary for Media 3.14, award-winning producers of documentaries like “Comprar, Tirar, Comprar” and “Me Llamo Violeta.”
Then, 2020 hit me like a brick wall. Something went wrong with my visa. This and that was expired. This and that, and I couldn’t get paid until it was fixed. This and that, and I had to move temporarily to a friend’s extra bedroom because of all this hullabaloo. Sprinkle in the bathroom ceiling caving in and getting mugged, and 2020 was not off to a great start.
Anyhow, I got it all under control. It was my birthday, March 9. My boss said he definitely wanted me to be a part of the team when they moved forward on the project, hopefully, by the end of the summer. My contract with Media 3.14 was coming to an end on March 12. On the 17th, I was going to go on the next leg of my adventure: a writer’s residency in Castilla-La Mancha to finish my feature screenplay, “Timestretchers.” Life was looking up. By March 11, everything had changed. I was sent home early. I worked my last day remotely. My boss said he’d be in touch.
March 14, the national Estado de Alarma went into effect. Veronica Leandrez at the Flatlands Artist Residency said I was welcome to come. I rented a car. Then, 10 minutes later, I got an email that my rental had been canceled.
My friends at the place where I was “temporarily living” said, “You might have to stay.“
No one knew what was going on. An overwhelming feeling of existential dread crept in rather quickly. I found it hard to focus. Six weeks passed, and the lockdown dates kept being extended, two weeks at a time. I’ve never felt so helpless making a decision. I emailed the consulate to ask them. They emailed me back and then also called me saying that they had no idea about interregional travel. I should contact local officials. They also asked about my well-being and if I wanted information about flights home. I told them, “Yeah, sure. Thanks.”