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Berlin, Germany. Berlin’s Euskal Etxea was very satisfied with Baskisches Kino Fest stressing the number of spectators that attended the screenings and its active participation in the colloquiums that followed.  The festival began on November 30 with Izarren Argia that was presented by club president Ainhoa Añorga, as part of the events organized to commemorate the 75 anniversary of the Bombing of Gernika. During the second session of the festival the documentary Bertsolari was shown presented by its director Asier Altuna.  The screening attracted many people who also participated in the debate, which ran until midnight, with the director himself.

[The audience filled the Moviement Kino hall for all the sessions (photo BerlinEE)]

On November 1, Joxean Fernandez, director of the Basque Film Archives, gave a talk entitled, “Film and the Civil War in the Basque Country,” after which he presented a selection the most prominent Basque short films of recent years.

[Joxean Fernandez, director of the Basque Film Archives, along with Ainhoa Añorga (right), Berlin’s Basque club president (photo BerlinEE)]

Also in Leipzig

The festival had parallel activities in the city of Leipzig, organized by the recently created Basque language and culture lecturer at the University there.  On November 1, Asier Altuna presented Bertsolari, at a showing supported by the Etxepare Basque Institute.

[Asier Altuna at the entrance of the University of Leipzig (photo BerlinEE)]

On November 2, Joxean Fernandez gave a talk ‘Film and the Civil War in the Basque Country” at the Institute of Translation and Applied Linguistics IALT.  The conference gathered students of Romance and translation, and was complete with a colloquium directed by the Leipzig lecturer, Unai Lauzirika.

Concert by Zuloak

Returning to Berlin, the festival continued on November 2 with the documentary Zuloak, presented by its director, Fermin Muguruza and members of the starring group of the same name.  Muguruza’s latest movie attracted a large audience and seats had to be improvised to accommodate everyone present in the Moviement hall, the festival site.

[Fermin Muguruza and members of the Zuoak group at the colloquium following the screening (photo BerlinEE)]

On November 3 the festival concluded with a session dedicated to animation.  To begin, Aitor Auzmendi, young Basque director who resides in Berlin, presented his short Tarantela followed by Zeinek gehiago iraun and Daisy Cutter.  Afterwards, the cartoonist Asisko Umeneta presented a feature length animated movie Gartxot. After the screening there was a very lively debate that lasted for two hours.

To close the festival Zuloak gave a concert at the Clash hall.  Zuloak’s director, Fermin Muguruza joined the performance and the party continued into the morning with music by the Djs Lucha Amada group.