Oreina, by Koldo Almandoz, and Espedizio handia, by Iban del Campo, at the Edinburgh International Film Festival

The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) dedicates a special section to Basque cinema as part of the #ScotlandGoesBasque programme sponsored by the Etxepare Basque Institute. In the coming days, Koldo Almandoz will present his feature film Oreina (The Deer) and Iban del Campo, his short, Espedizio handia (The Great Expedition). A group of Basque film industry professionals will travel to Edinburgh to present their work.

The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) dedicates a special section to Basque cinema as part of the #ScotlandGoesBasque programme sponsored by the Etxepare Basque Institute. In the coming days, Koldo Almandoz will present his feature film Oreina (The Deer) and Iban del Campo, his short, Espedizio handia (The Great Expedition). A group of Basque film industry professionals will travel to Edinburgh to present their work.

As an initiative of the #ScotlandGoesBasque programme, Basque cinema travelled to Scotland this spring. In April and May, the platform CinemaAttic presented a retrospective of forty years of Basque cinema in Edinburgh, Glasgow and other cities in the UK. Now the longest-running international film festival shines a spotlight on the most recent films shot in the Basque language. 

As part of the EIFF’sFocus on Spain section, Koldo Almandoz’s Oreina (The Deer, 2018) will have its Scottish premiere on June 24th and 26th. On June 26th, Iban del Campo’s science fiction short, Espedizio handia (The Great Expedition, 2018), will have its UK premiere. Espedizio handia,one of the selected shorts in the 2018 Kimuak catalogue, will be featured in the Spotlight on Contemporary Spanish Short Films of the festival’s Focus on Spain section. The directors will travel to Edinburgh to present their respective films.

Oreina (The Deer) is the second feature film by Koldo Almandoz (Donostia, 1973). Based on an original screenplay signed by the director, this production by Txintxua Films deals with the limits of the human body and physical space as it follows the relationship between Khalil and Jose Ramon. Espedizio handia (The Great Expedition) is a short film written by Iban del Campo (Arrasate, 1971) and Antonio del Campo, co-produced by Limbus Filmak. The film follows the members of the L’Estrange family, combining archival footage and Super 8 home videos to explore the thrill of interplanetary travel.

#ScotlandGoesBasque has also promoted participation by Basque film industry professionals in the EIFF Industry Programme. In collaboration with Zineuskadi, this initiative involves a two-way journey: seven Basque film industry professionals are about to head to Edinburgh to learn about the market at EIFF and present their projects. In September the San Sebastian Film Festival will host the co-production meeting ‘Glocal meets Scotland’. Several Scottish producers will meet at the Festival with glocal country representatives, that is, professionals who produce feature films in non-hegemonic European languages.

Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) has been held every year since 1947. It is now a platform of enormous relevance for promoting partnerships and collaborations between filmmakers in Scotland, the United Kingdom and across the globe. The festival aims to promote diversity and reflection around cinema.