Basque cinema, strong at the Film Festival of Nantes

Two weeks ago we published that Basque cinema would have an important participation in the  25th edition of the Festival du Cinéma Espagnol of Nantes, and this week the news is even better: the film A escondidas of Mikel Rueda has won the Opera Prima prize!

This year the  Fenêtre Basque Section, dedicated to Basque production and supported by the Etxepare Basque Institute, has celebrated its 15th anniversary:  50% of the films in competition in the Official Section and Opera Prima Section have been Basque productions -7 in total-, two short films have competed for the Best Short Film Award, and the special pass to young audiences has been a Basque film.

But not only Basque produccion visited Nantes, but many of its protagonists have also attended the festival. Txema Muñoz, responsible for Kimuak, has been a member of the jury of the Award for Best Documentary. The seven short films of the Kimuak 2014 selection have also been screened at the festival. The directors of the films have not missed the appointment and have come to Nantes to present their works. The Deputy Minister of Culture of the Basque Government, Joxean Muñoz, attended the opening of the Festival of Nantes; and, the director of the Etxepare Basque Institute, Aizpea Goenaga, attended the closing and awards ceremony.

The following films have taken part at the festival, among others: Loreak, Jon Garaño and Jose Mari Goenaga; Los Tontos y Los Estúpidos, Roberto Castón; Negociador,  Borja Cobeaga; A escondidas,  Mikel Rueda; La noche del ratón,  David Losada; Lasa eta Zabala,  Pablo Malo; or 1980 de Mikel Arteta. You can see all the Basque films at the festival here.

In the pictures: the director  Mikel Rueda at the awards ceremony; Txema Muñoz, Responsable for Kimuak and member of the jury of the Award for Best Documentary with the former Minister of Culture of France.