San Francisco Film Series Fall Program
This fall, the Basque Film Series will showcase three new movies with distinguished presenters for each of them. As an added bonus, a special lecture by Dr. Oscar Alvarez on Friday, September 7, will cover how Basque Immigration has been depicted in American Cinema.
BERTSOLARI – September 14th, 2012, 7:30pm
“The bertsolari is the improviser of verse sung in the Basque language, Euskara. This oral tradition has managed to evolve and adapt to the times connecting with the younger generation, bringing together ten thousand people at the final of the last championship. An austerely aesthetic art that surprises in this era of spectacle and special effects.
BERTSOLARI is a journey through improvised poetry, silence, and art laid bare.
The BEO will host a meet and greet reception before the screening (wine & cheese). To attend, please RSVP to Nicole Sorhondo at 415-285-0748 or at Info@BasqueEd.org by September 11th.
Director Asier Altuna will be on hand to present his film, and will be honored by the BEO for his contributions to Basque Culture and Identity through Basque Cinema.
BERTSOLARI will also be screened at the SF Latino Film Festival the following day, September 15th, 5:15pm – 601 Van Ness Ave, SF, CA – http://www.sflatinofilmfestival.com.
GAZTA ZATI BAT – Friday, October 12th, 2012, 7:30pm
The film tells the story of a small Basque village famous all over the world for its cheese. Villagers forget the differences caused by the last armed conflict in Europe in order to accomplish a mission: to be able to choose what they want to be in the world. Leaving behind a dark and difficult & problematic past, “Gazta Zati Bat” (“A Peace of Cheese”) is a story with a positive look towards the future.
This documentary will be presented by political journalist Imanol Murua Uria, who is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the Center for Basque Studies at the University of Nevada at Reno.
ZURETZAKO – Friday, November 2nd, 2012, 7:30pm
When life repeats itself, we’ll do anything to change our destiny. We’ll toil and sacrifice for our families, without asking the cost to our children. To support his family in the Basque Country, Joaquin must herd sheep alone in America. Burning suns and blistering winds have made him a quiet, distant man. When his son joins him herding, years of separation and sacrifice come to a head. Together, they must battle the mountains, isolation, and each other.
The first American-made Basque-language film, Zuretzako is based on the life of filmmaker and Princess Grace Award-Winner Javi Zubizarreta’s own grandfather. Starring Zubizarreta’s father and brother in the title roles, Zuretzako tells the story of the sacrifices that fathers make and the toll they take on their sons.
Director Javi Zubizarreta will be on hand to present his film.
(For Zuretzako related posts previously published on A Basque in Boise, click here and here.)
For complete details, please check the Basque Educational Organization website.
