2006 Program

 

Obaba

Set in a mythical region of the Basque Country, Obaba creates a beautifully enigmatic world of its own. A young film student, Lurdes (Barbara Lennie), goes to Obaba on a class assignment with her video camera to capture the reality of the town and its people. This shouldn't be so difficult: It's a small town where people are willing to talk and the doors are open. But the more people Lurdes meets and befriends and the more stories she hears, the stranger and more mysterious things become. The people of Obaba are trapped in the past, telling stories from their childhood that involve one another in a complicated web of feelings and relationships. 
Through them and Miguel, a happy and easy-going young man Lurdes strikes up a close friendship with, Lurdes starts to know small pieces of their lives from before, when they were children or adults, and from now, when they barely have any dreams. These are small pieces of lives that lead to passions, envies and violence. Like the young teacher, who walks her loneliness through the streets of Obaba; or the adolescent Esteban, who receives love letters in cream-colored envelopes. With all this, Lurdes tries to reconstruct the puzzle that gives sense to their lives and that will allow her to catch the reality with her video camera. But there is always something missing, something that escapes, and something she can not understand. Like the mysterious behavior of the lizards that live in Obaba. Nobody, not even Lurdes’ camera, is able to solve this mystery. 

A journey into the soul of the Basque country, Obaba is based on the popular short story collection Obabakoak by Basque writer Bernardo Atxaga and was the official 2006 Acadamy Awards Oscar candidate from Spain.

2005, directed by Montxo Armendariz, 107 min, color, in Spanish with English subtitles.

 

See the Trailer

 

Choque

A couple in their late twenties discovers and underground drag racing track... 

2005, directed by Nacho Vigalondo, 10 min, color, in Spanish with English subtitles.

 

Both films!

Friday, October 6th, 7:30pm, Basque Cultural Center

Free Admission.