It’s been a while since we last brought you any news on Basque cinema published by Variety, the prestigious US weekly dedicated to the world of entertainment that’s been in print since 1905. To get an idea of how important it is, just look at their online presence: their website gets 30 million visits a month, and they have 12 million followers on social media.
This magazine just published an online article by Callum McLennan about the presence of Basque cineman at the San Sebastian Film Festival.
The article opens with this statement:
At this year’s San Sebastian Festival, Basque cinema brings arguably its strong slate ever, fruits from its fast growing scene.
Callum McLennan himself has later published an article discussing the grants and facilities Basque institutions offer this industry, and how they’re being very fruitful. We’ll cover this article itself (soon), though we did bring you a similar article Variety published back in 2017.
The journalist reviews the films shown at “Zinemaldia” which have a Basque presence, and even dedicates a specific article to a documentary about the Williams brothers. This article goes far beyond a mere description, as he tries to find the causes of this genre’s important specific weight in Basque media productions:
Pinpointing the exact reasons for the Basque Country’s documentary prowess is challenging, yet Xabi Berzosa of Irusoin speculates that regions with deep historical roots create fertile ground for the genre to thrive. “You know that the Basque Country is very intense in documentary production and it relates to the magic of all places that are politically strong – they always want to get documentaries, tell their side of the story,” he said.
By the way, the article about the Williams documentary also saw the participation of another Variety journalist we’ve cited before on many occasions: John Hopewell.
Variety – 23/9/2024 – USA
Charlie Chaplin Doc, ‘The Platform’ Sequel and Icíar Bollaín Among Basque Cinema’s Powerhouse Lineup at San Sebastian
At this year’s San Sebastian Festival, Basque cinema brings arguably its strong slate ever, fruits from its fast growing scene.
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Variety – 23/9/2024 – USA
Basque Docs Scene Spotlight: A Look at ‘Los Williams’
In July, José Luis Rebordinos, director of the San Sebastián Film Festival, highlighted the growing prominence of documentaries at this year’s event. Among the notable examples he cited were Albert Serra’s “Afternoons of Solitude,” and the New Directors opener “La guitarra flamenca de Yerai Cortés,” the directorial debut of Antón Álvarez, better known to date as singer-songwriter C. Tangana.
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Last Updated on Sep 25, 2024 by About Basque Country
