Elburua Gernika

The Land of Jacques Cartier(fr)

Did Cartier dream of making a country from this land of a million birds? In his records of his exploration he certainly marvelled at seeing the great auks that have since disappeared from Isle aux Ouaiseaulx, the razor-bills and gannets that are gone from Blanc-Sablon, and the kittiwakes from Anticosti, all the winged creatures of all the islands which he described as being "as full of birds as a meadow is of grass". And that's not even counting the countless snow geese.

Exergo(eu)

Departing from peripheral details of some paintings of the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum, a female narrator unravels several stories related to the economic, social and psychological conditions of past and current artists.

The Basque Ball: Skin Against Stone(es)

An attempt to create a bridge between the different political positions that coexist, sometimes violently, in the Basque Country, in northern Spain.

Enchanting Bournemouth(en)

Bournemouth offers a variety of sports, pastimes, steamer trips, and fine dining for holidaymakers, competing with cheaper foreign holidays and offering a variety of transportation options.

Impuros(es)

At just 17 years old, Eduardo Madina and Borja Semper decided to enter politics to defend freedom of thought in the Basque Country. This made them a target of the ETA terrorist group for almost two decades.

Fascinating New Zealand(de)

There are landscapes that hardly anyone has entered or seen: this film takes the viewer through New Zealand from the southern edge to the northernmost tip. High-quality images from the air, on land and in the water bring paradise to the other end of the world.

In the Rain(eu)

Euritan is a review of the narrative 'Klara eta biok', written by Itxaro Borda in 1985. Putting the author against the words of her past, it updates her view on the peripheral relationship around the Basque character.

Iragan gunea Berlin(eu)

The film follows five people from different origins as they move anonymously around the streets of Berlin. Each of them with another life somewhere else, trying to ascertain where to go.

In Ictu Oculi(eu)

The six-decade transformation of a block of houses, shown by means of artfully featured archival shots, highlights the beauty and sadness of human-made decay. In the blink of an eye 66 years pass by and a savings bank replaces a church.

Aralar(eu)

This film goes beyond being a window that shows the natural and cultural heritage of Aralar (situated in the heart of the Basque Country), it also makes the viewer reflect. The testimonies of the experts and the journey through a dreamlike world, not only make the value of this mountain range known but also make a clear call to conserve it.

Pink Coffins(es)

In a temple in Thailand, an order of Buddhist monks are performing a ceremony for people who headed there to get re-incarnated. There, we meet Tarn, a young Thai woman who lived in the Basque Country some years ago and who is still fascinated with that region, food and culture.

Pursued(es)

Basque Country, Spain. No one seems to know them. Some glances avoid theirs. Their social circle becomes smaller and smaller. They live under escort, watched by those who protect them and by those who threaten them: it is the experience of living in the shadow of ETA, a savage terrorist gang of unscrupulous criminals… of merely existing under the yoke of those who tomorrow could be their executioners.

Utopías y otras especies(es)

1908-2008 y sigo(es)

Through interviews with different people linked to the work and life of the Basque sculptor Jorge Oteiza (1908-2003), this documentary aims to unravel fundamental aspects of his work.

The Scars(eu)

The personal stories lived by the Uncle, the Father and the Son, respectively, form a tragic experience that is drawn along a line in time. This line is comparable to a crease in the pages of the family album, but also to a crack in the walls of the paternal house. It resembles the open wound created when drilling into a mountain, but also a scar in the collective imaginary of a society, where the idea of salvation finds its tragic destiny in the political struggle. What is at the end of that line? Will old war songs be enough to circumvent that destiny?

Gesto(es)

The history of the citizens' movement that for thirty years worked hard to overcome fear, fight hatred and eradicate the violence exercised by the savage terrorist gang ETA, both in the Basque Country and in the rest of Spain.

Natura Bizia(es)

In the north of the Iberian Peninsula, we find two regions that will provide us with great moments. These are the Basque Country and Navarre, two territories that are home to a high percentage of Europe's biodiversity. At Natura Bizia, we will reveal the best-preserved corners, the most spectacular biodiversity, and animal fauna in its wildest state. Vertical cliffs, an endless sea, magical forests, and enormous limestone mountains will provide us with unforgettable experiences. We will swim among the largest cetaceans on the planet, enjoy the first steps of the brown bear after its winter hibernation, witness the daily struggle of wolves to conquer new territory, and fly alongside the most powerful of our eagles.

Mother Earth(eu)

'Ama Lur' is a documentary, directed by Nestor Basterretxea and Fernando Larruquert, that premiered in San Sebastián in 1968, and it is considered the foundation of Basque cinema.

Jai Alai Blues(es)

The story of how a humble Basque rural sport called zesta punta —or jai alai— was successfully exported from the Basque Country to nations as different as Egypt, China, the Philippines, Cuba, Mexico or the United States. In these places, the pelotaris were considered true artists at the fronton. But the splendour of the jai alai, the happy feast, could not last forever.

Euskadi, Summer 1982(fr)

Part of a series in which foreign filmmakers portray a region or town in France. Otar Iosselani looks at the Basque region and its inhabitants.