«‘Dardara’ is a film about the emotions stirred among fans of Berri Txarrak»
2021/03/15
Euskara. Kultura. Mundura.
It´s been a long goodbye, but it´s coming to an end. Paying a final tribute to their fans, Basque rock music group Berri Txarrak (Bad News in English) will play the last notes of the farewell song they started in 2019. Navarra-born Marina Lameiro documented the band’s final tour, ‘Ikusi arte’, and is about to debut her film ‘Dardara’, which means ‘tremor’ in Basque. Emotion is, precisely, the crux of the work, meant to be a tribute to the fans of the Navarra group with more international projection, Berri Txarrak, and a gift for them as well. It also shows, from a unique perspective, the band’s live concerts in countries around the world. The film will be released in cinemas from Friday 19 March following its premiere at the Punto de Vista International Documentary Film Festival of Navarra. Here is what Lameiro had to say about the film.
- How did you structure the film? What is at the core of ‘Dardara’?
- There is a feeling at the core, an attitude towards music and life. The message of leaving fears behind and moving ahead. Berri Txarrak´s carefully chosen songs are the thread that weaves the film together.
- What was the filming process like?
- We filmed during the tour. Most of the time I went to the concerts and talked to the fans. Then I delved into their private lives, observing the extent of their affection for the band from their innermost selves. It is not so much a faithful portrait of the tour, but rather a piece about the influence of their music. The setting of the film is Berri Txarrak´s last tour, but it covers a lot of topics.
- And how did you gather the testimonies?
- I talked to the band´s fans, chatted with them, interviewed them, you might say, but off camera. In the film, they don´t talk to the camera, they don´t say directly what the band means to them. I put together their comments indirectly, showing the connection they feel to the band in different way.
- Do Gorka Urbizu, GalderIzagirre and David González also open up in front of the camera?
- They were more involved in the film than originally planned. We didn´t intend to focus on them, but as we immersed ourselves in the creative process, we realised that they had to be involved as well. Talking to the producers, we realised that if the film was going to be a tribute to the fans, we needed them to be present so that the fans could get to know the band members better.
- So it’s not really a ‘making-of’ or a ‘behind the camera’ film of the tour
- No. It’s something else. In fact, my fear is that people will go to the cinema looking for just that. It’s a film and, in this sense, it is a cinematic exploration. I wanted to stay away from the more gimmicky, flashy shots. There’s nothing like the experience of a live concert, and that´s why I tried to capture what you can´t experience in a live performance. For example, I took a close-up shot of a fan for the duration of a song, from beginning to end, creating a kind of mirror of what is happening on stage.
- Might fans find an unknown side to the band?
- Yes. We made the film with the fans in mind, but it’s also for people who’ve seen their work and won´t forget the bad news. The film shows the concert preparations, the soundchecks, the decision-making process for the songs, the different moments backstage – the needs of a touring band. My intention was to make a creative film for everyone.
- A lot of fans don’t understand Basque but that doesn’t put them off.
- The film shows that music is a universal language. The language of its lyrics is not a limitation for fans. In fact, for some it’s a plus, an example of honesty with oneself.