WEBWIRE – Tuesday, July 12, 2022

The publication explores the concept of the disillusionment deriving from the Transition in the political-cultural context of the Basque Country, through Izagirre’s films and other contemporary literary productions

ZINE: Film Research Series also reviews Eceiza’s bio-filmography, based on a selection of unpublished materials from his personal collection that were recently deposited in the Basque Film Archive

Disillusionment is a recurring concept in the Spanish cultural context. In the field of film, this idea has been developed from either a purely existential perspective or a political stance, something which characterises some of Spain’s principal productions during the Transition era. Although the discourse was different, as indeed was the political process, this disillusionment and ideological crisis also spread to the Basque cultural scene, giving rise to the creation of different works that, often in the midst of fierce controversies, generated a unique context.

Koldo Izagirre was the brain behind two works that represent this conflictive period: Ke arteko egunak (Days of smoke, 1989), directed by Antxon Eceiza with whom he co-wrote the screenplay; and Off-eko maitasuna (Love in off, 1992), directed by Izagirre himself. Beñat Sarasola, a lecturer and researcher at the University of the Basque Country – UPV/EHU, analyses these two works in “Desengainuaren bestelako gramatika: Koldo Izagirreren azken zinematografia lana (1989-1992)” –Another grammar of disillusionment: the last cinematographic work of Koldo Izagirre (1989-1992)–, the main article featured in the third issue of ZINE: Film Research Series. The text explores the non-animated films of Koldo Izagirre and compares them with other literary productions of the era, establishing a series of aesthetic and political links.

The magazine also features a dossier dedicated to revisiting the complex ideological and cinematographic evolution of Antxon Eceiza, illustrated with a series of unpublished materials from the filmmaker’s own personal archives. These materials (scripts, photographs, correspondence, notebooks, magnetic audio tapes and rolls of film, among others) were deposited in the Basque Film Archive in 2021. This section, entitled: ‘¿No ves o qué? Un viaje dudoso a través del archivo personal de Antxon Eceiza’ (‘Can’t you see? A doubtful journey through the personal archives of Antxon Eceiza’), was coordinated and written by Maialen Beloki, Deputy Director of the San Sebastián International Film Festival and author of the thesis Entre Antonio y Antxon Eceiza. Cine y política (Between Antonio and Antxon Eceiza. Film and politics) and Irati Crespo, from Area Z365 of the Festival.

The public presentation of the third issue of ZINE, in which both Beñat Sarasola and Maialen Beloki will participate, will be held at the Tabakalera International Centre for Contemporary Culture in San Sebastián, in October, in a session featuring the screening of Ke arteko egunak.

Call for papers

ZINE: Film Research Series is open to contributions from all researchers. Contributions to ZINE are pre-selected by the Editorial Committee and are subject to external peer review. Please send any proposals to zine@zine-eskola.eus. Proposals should comprise an abstract of between 250 and 500 words and a complete CV of the author. Instructions are available on the EQZE website.

ZINE: Film Research Series is an online academic journal published by Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola, the Basque Film Archives and the San Sebastián International Film Festival (SSIFF). The aim of the ZINE series is to publish original research which contributes to specialised knowledge in the field of film studies, from an interdisciplinary perspective.