The opening of the Espai Museístic del Cinema – Josep M. Queraltó Collection, on 4 July 2015, was a major event in Vallbona de les Monges and for neighbouring towns in the Urgell county in Lleida, Spain, with more than 200 people attending. Another 40 guests arrived by coach from Barcelona, mainly members of the Spanish Film Academy and the Acadèmia del Cinema Català. Also present were four Patrons of Honour of the Aula Film Foundation – Josep M. Queraltó Collection: director of Antaviana Films Joesp M. Aragonés, costume designer Yvonne Blake, director of photography and film restorer Juan Mariné, and director of photography Tomás Pladevall. Completing the guest list were Ana Arrieta, legal adviser to ECAM and former director of the Borau Foundation, the Professor of the University of Lyon Jean-Claude Seguin, Concha Figueras, manager at Antaviana Films, Maria Rosa Fusté, and the director of the Catalonia Latin American Film Festival, Juan Ferrer.
Among the personalities who had travelled from Barcelona was the director of the Filmoteca de Catalunya, Esteve Riambau, the president of the Catalan Exhibitors Association, Camilo Tarrazón, the president of Filmax, Julia Fernández, and Emeritus Professor of Contemporary History and Cinema, Dr. Josep M. Caparrós. Also notable was the presence of sculptor Josep Castellana, who made the bust of Josep M. Queraltó situated in the Community Centre Hall, and the posters decorating the entire building, and finally the journalist Marta Armengou, director of BTV’s weekly programme La Cartellera.
The opening ceremony took place in the conference room next to the second hall of the museum space, with participation from the Mayor of Vallbona, Ramon Berguedå, the vice-president of the Aula Film Foundation – Josep M. Queraltó Collection and curator of the museum, Jordi S. Bonet, and Josep M. Queraltó himself. Just as the speeches were coming to an end “Groucho Marx” burst onto the scene provoking smiles and laughter from the crowd with hilarious and sometimes sarcastic comments. The biggest reaction came when he announced, “Now the main museum is open in Vallbona, we might open a branch in Barcelona”.
