The Universitat de València launches the audiovisual about l’Horta de València, framed in the Docufòrum programme

The presentation, held in the Palmireno Room of the Faculty of Geography and History, was attended by the Vice-Principal of Territorial Projection and Participation, Jorge Hermosilla; the Councillor for Agriculture, Sustainable Food and Horta of the City Council of València, Alejandro Ramón; and the Directors of the Chair L’Horta de València, Territori Metropolità, Enric Guinot and Joan Carles Membrado.

This documentary focuses on the historical space of living and working conditions that it is the horta (orchard) of València. It also exposes the dangers that the historic horta has faced in past decades, such as the effects of urban expansion, the real estate boom or the extension of the V-21. In addition, the audiovisual wavers through the plans to guarantee the visibility of the horta in the future, such as the Pla d’Acció Territorial (Plan of Territorial Action) and the Dinamització de l’Horta de València (Revitalization of the Horta of València) and other measures of environmental services and support for agriculturists.

Vice-Principal Jorge Hermosilla highlighted the significance of institutional collaboration, since “this programme would not have been possible without the support of organisations committed to Valencian society. In this case, this audiovisual was the result of collaboration between the Universitat de València, the City Council of València and the Naves, which make possible the activity of the Cátedra de l'Horta, which financed this video”.

Councillor Alejandro Ramón has stressed the importance of safeguarding l'Horta, “not only for its heritage importance and scenic beauty but for its function as a green lung for the city of València”. The councillor outlined the projects and lines of action being carried out by the City Council of València to contribute to the conservation of the Valencian horta.

Enric Guinot and Joan Carles Membrado agreed in denouncing the conflicts and dangers that threaten the viability of l'Horta of València, the directors of the Chair have assured that “the disappearance of the horta would not only imply the loss of an agricultural production at the gates of the city, nor that of the social group of agriculturists, it would also be the end of a patrimonial space and a landscape with such an identitarian importance that belongs to all citizens”.

Docufòrum, multidisciplinary and transmedial programme

Docufòrum is an audiovisual format promoted by the the Office of the Vice-Principal for Territorial Projection and Participation produced in high definition (HD) by the Universitat de València’s Audiovisual Workshop (TAU), which addresses current affairs and social issues with a documentary-style video. The 20-minute documentaries collect the opinions of specialists from both the Universitat de València and the Valencian social and business spheres.

The Docufòrum programme currently consists of almost twenty audiovisuals that deal with subjects related to the Valencian territory and society: social economy, cultural landscapes, social exclusion, education, work... The dissemination of documentaries has been devised at three levels with a transmediatic approach. Alternatively, these documentaries will be projected in the Valencian territory framed in a program of forums of debate that this Office of the Vice-Principal will organize in the Valencian regions. In addition, thanks to an agreement between the Universitat de València and the Regional Department of Education, these audiovisuals will be available to all schools in the Comunitat Valenciana as a didactic resource. Finally, it is planned to broadcast these documentaries through the Valencian regional television, À punt, whose broadcasting format is being polished.