2008 Program

 

Silencio Roto

Broken Silence

In the wake of the Spanish Civil War, a number of the Republican guerillas who fought against Franco's fascist army went into hiding and continued their battle as resistance fighters hiding out in the mountain ranges of Spain; this drama offers a glimpse of life in a rural Spanish community under Franco's rule as the "Maquis" plot their next move in their battle against Franco. It's 1944, and Lucia (Lucia Jimenez) arrives in a small town to take a job at a tavern run by her aunt Teresa (Mercedes Sampietro). Politically, the community is torn between those who have retained their loyalty to the former Republican leadership and those who have embraced fascism under Franco. Lucia becomes fast friends with Lola (Maria Botto), a local girl whose brother Manuel (Juan Diego Botto) is a blacksmith with ties to the Maquis. As Lucia falls in love with Manuel, the Maquis come out of hiding and stage a raid on the town, freeing a number of Republicans who have been jailed for their support of the old regime; as one might expect, this attracts the attention of Franco's Civil Guard, which quickly sets out to neutralize Manuel and the rebels. Silencia Roto was directed by Montxo Armendariz, who previously made the international success Secretos Del Corazon, and who made Tasio and Obaba (see below).


2001, directed by Montxo Armendariz, 1 hour 50 minutes, color, in Spanish with English subtitles.

 

Silencio Roto

 

Juego

I Play

A childhood game left its mark on the lives of a brother and a sister...
 

2006, directed by Ione Hernandez, 15 min, Color.

 

Both films!

Friday, March 28th, 7:30pm, Basque Cultural Center

Free Admission.

Basque Cultural Center, 599 Railroad Ave, South San Francisco, CA 94080

 

 


 

 

 

Kutsidazu Bidea, Ixabel

Show me the way Isabelle

Fernando Bernues and Mireia Gabilondo co-helm the coming-of-age drama Kutsidazu bidea, Ixabel . Mikel Losada plays Juan Martin, a boy from Donostia (San Sebastian) who decides to improve his Euskara (Basque) skills by spending his summer in the Pyrenees region at a Basque farmhouse. The summer doesn't quite work out as he planned - the locals' use of Basque is all-but unintelligible to him and bears little similarity to his classroom studies, while the rural lifestyles jar with his own experience and knowledge and carry him far outside of his comfort zone. Juan's head is turned, however, by Ixabel, the family's youngest daughter, with whom he falls deeply in love - despite the existence of her current boyfriend, pelota champion Anjel Mari.


2007, directed by Fernando Bernués, Mireia Gabilondo, 97 minutes, color, in Euskara (Basque) with English subtitles.

 

 

 

 

 

Sintonia

 

It’s not a question of long conversations, of long years of living together. Sometimes, in a place where people pass each other by, in only a few minutes, you may find yourself connecting with someone.

2005, directed by Jose Mari Goenaga, 9 min, in Spanish with English subtitles.

Both films!

Friday, April 25th, 7:30pm, Basque Cultural Center

Free Admission.

Basque Cultural Center, 599 Railroad Ave, South San Francisco, CA 94080

 

 

 


 

 

Secretos de Luchas

Secrets of Combat

Secretos de Lucha. The journey of a young woman, who travels to Uruguay in search of what really happened to her family during the darkest years of the Uruguayan dictatorship. Through her father’s eyes and her seven aunts and uncles’ confessions, she tries to understand why they kept their memories silent for so long. From the French Bask country to South America, she follows their steps and explores their individual struggles, whether these were through union or legal political actions, or through clandestine activities within an urban guerrilla organization called the Tupamaros. A silence that has left so many wounds yet to be healed. This documentary invites the audience to share in an intimate perspective of a family’s struggle against oppression, and gives a voice to those who were both witnesses and pawns in a story that was stolen from them. A documentary to overcome the last fears, and give the way to the new generation in a fight for social justice yet to be won.


2007, directed by Maiana Bidegain, 85 minutes, color, in French & Spanish with English subtitles.

 

                         Trailer/Teaser        Trailer         Secretos de Luchas

 

Taxi?

The city taxi drivers have followed a course on kindness. If you do not make the grade, you will not arrive at your destination.

 

2007, directed by Telmo Esnal, 5 min, in Spanish with English subtitles

Both films!

Friday, May 16th, 7:30pm, Basque Cultural Center

Free Admission.

Basque Cultural Center, 599 Railroad Ave, South San Francisco, CA 94080

 


 

 

 

Nomadak Tx

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once famously remarked, “Music is the universal language of mankind,” and perhaps nowhere is this sentiment felt more strongly than in this jubilant film about two musicians who journey to some of the most remote regions of the world, using the traditional Basque musical instrument, the txalaparta, as a medium for cross-cultural exchange and understanding. The txalaparta is a traditional Basque instrument (similar to a xylophone) that was originally a communication device between Basque tribes. In this spirit of communication, Igor Otxoa and Harkaitz Martínez have a dream to turn the txalaparta into a meetingplace—not only for people, but for different cultures as well. This wish leads them to make a trip in search of the world’s last remaining nomadic tribes. From the north of India to the Mongolian Steppes, from the Sahara desert to Lapland, the film captures an extraordinarily fluent and dynamic conversation across borders and languages, articulated through music. Through encounters with other musicians—a Mongol musician and a Hindu taxi driver, a Sami singer and an aging Saharan lady—the txalaparta becomes more than a musical instrument; it is a tool for communication in which everyone expresses their desires. Stunning photography and superb music fill nearly every frame of the film, culminating in an amazing performance piece involving the music of all tribes in unison with the txalaparta. With little dialogue, the film speaks volumes on the significance of music in our lives, and its power to connect people all over the world.  - Sky Sitney


2006, directed by Raúl De la Fuente, 86 minutes, color, in Arabic, Basque, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Spanish with English subtitles.

 

Nomadak Tx

 

 

 

 

Ana y Manuel

Dumped by Manuel, Ana can think of nothing better to do than to replace him with... a great... big... hairy dog... with an enormous mouth…

2004, Directed by Manuel Calvo, 11 minutes, in Castilian with English subtitles.

Both films!

Friday, October 17th, 7:30pm, Basque Cultural Center

Free Admission.

Basque Cultural Center, 599 Railroad Ave, South San Francisco, CA 94080