Some movies from the Basque Film Library collection can be seen online

What a cool way to start a Monday! I’ve checked out a couple of the videos from the website, and they are so worth it! I hope you guys enjoy them as much as I did.

Basque Library Film collection | Diario Vasco

Ricardo Aldarondo | San Sebastian
17 marzo 2015

The oldest movie filmed in the Basque Country kept in the Film Library, ‘Irún 1912’; images of Plencia or Mondragón during festivities in the 20’s and 30’s; the little known story ‘Jose Antonio Aguirre in New York’ (1942); films about anchovy fishing in Donostia in the 50’s or the Urola Railway; a testimony of the first Kilometroak celebrated in 1977, or little known documentaries by directors like Pedro Olea, Jose Antonio Sistiaga and Juan Miguel Gutiérrez, are some of the key pieces in the Basque Film Library archives that already can be seen online, at www.filmotecavasca.com/es/fondos.

The website has enabled a new section called ‘Collections’ (‘Fondos’), with about twenty movies at the moment and which will grow at the rate of one movie per month.

“We want the film heritage to be accessible to citizens, Basques and people around the world, in addition to facilitating the work of some researchers, who can avoid displacement,” explained the director of the Basque Film Library, Joxean Fernández, during the initiative’s presentation that is already underway.

“For the time being, films made between the 1910’s and 1980’s have been incorporated, for their historical, artistic or cultural interest, and trying to maintain a geographical balance between the different regions”, said the director-curator of the Basque Film Library, Ion Lopez, who highlighted the uniqueness of the images contained in all these films. The archive has also incorporated two collections, one with titles made by Gotzon Elorza, and another dedicated to films about the Civil War.

This initiative has a non-commercial character, intended for the free viewing of films which are however subject to rights to use of any of the images for other purposes.

These are the films chosen in the first phase:

– Irun 1912 (1912): This is the filming of Saint Martial Day on June 30, 1912. It is the oldest film shot in the Basque Country preserved in the Film Library.

– Images of the opening soccer match in San Mames (Bilbao, August 21, 1913): Images of the inauguration of the San Mames soccer field in Bilbao. It was inaugurated with a game between Athletic Club de Bilbao and Real Racing de Irun.

– The Day of Guipuzcoa (1924): Celebration of the Day of Guipuzcoa during Primo de Rivera’s dictatorship. A celebration designed for the exaltation of the province’s Basque-Spanish.

– Festivities in Plencia (1927): Images from the eve of the of San Antolin festivities on September 1, 1927. High quality images of the town of Plencia and its festival.

– Experiences of 3D cinema (1930’s): Images of the approach to 3D cinema by the Teofilo Mingueza, from Vitoria-Gazteiz.

– Festivals of Mondragon (1933): Images of the festivities in Arrasate/Mondragon. In addition to the images of the population, you can see images of female tennis players of the time.

– Jose Antonio Aguirre in New York (1942): A film describing the life of lehendakari Jose Antonio Aguirre and the Basque Government while exiled in New York.

– Spanish charities. Caja de Ahorros and Monte de Piedad Municipal de Bilbao (1944): Promotional film produced by the Azcona brothers’ production company, commissioned by the Municipal Savings Bank of Bilbao.

– 25th Anniversary of the Urola Railway (Zumarraga – Zumaia). 22 of February of 1951 (1951): Commemorative film of the 25 years of the Urola railroad. In addition to the celebratory acts, you can see the train route.

– Sea People (1957): Documentary about anchovy fishing at the Donostia-San Sebastian wharf. This is one of the examples of films restoration made by the Basque Film Library.

– The town of Vitoria (1968): Images of the day of the blouses of July 25 and the festivities of La Blanca.

– Encounters 72-Pamplona-Running of the bulls 72 (1972): Film made by Jose Antonio Sistiaga, which shows the cultural meetings organized in Pamplona-Iruñea during that year.

– Kilometroak 77 (1977): Film made by Juan Jose Franco on the first edition of Kilometroak.

– Xalbador Gaztain Kormutxa (1981): Movie in honor of bertsolari Xalbador made by Juan Miguel Gutierrez.

– Bihotzez (1985): Film by Pedro Olea in tribute to the effort made in the reconstruction of Casco Viejo of Bilbao after the 1983 flooding.

(Original article at www.diariovasco.com/culturas/cine/201503/17/algunas-peliculas-fondos-filmoteca-20150317131320.html)