Basque arts have left their mark on the Scottish cultural landscape: in the winter it was music, in the spring it was film, and in the summer it was Basque performing arts and literature. The #ScotlandGoesBasque programme brought Basque performing arts and literature to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Edinburgh International Book Festival From August 7th to 18th. 

Once again, the street art festival Fest’Arts of Libourne will host two Basque shows. On August 8, 9 and 10, the streets of Libourne in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region will be filled with dance, theatre, music, circus  acts and more at the festival’s 28th edition.

The latest documentary by Basque filmmaker Oskar Alegría, Zumiriki, has been chosen to compete at the Venice International Film Festival. The film will be screened in the Horizons (Orizzonti) section, which honours feature films and documentaries representing the latest trends in cinema.

#ScotlandGoesBasque is a cultural programme sponsored by the Etxepare Basque Institute showcasing first-rate Basque creative talent in Scotland. It seeks to forge bonds between Scotland and the Basque Country through culture, art and language. Several Basque artists will participate in two of the most important Scottish festivals on the summer season: the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Edinburgh International Book festival.

Kulturklik sat down with Irene Larraza, director of the Etxepare Basque Institute, and Alain Maya, dancer, choreographer and project advisor, to ask them about the ‘Atlantik 1050’ project, a show featuring Basque and Scottish dancers and musicians. ‘Atlantik 1050’ falls under the framework of #ScotlandGoesBasque, an initiative promoted by Etxepare to shine a spotlight on the Basque language and culture. Below is a transcript of the interview:

Chejov vs. Shakespeare is one of the initiatives of the #ScotlandGoesBasque programme, organised by the Etxepare Basque Institute, that will travel to the Edinburgh International Book Festival in August. Basque writer Iban Zaldua and Scottish writer James Robertson will present the results of the project they have been working on over the previous months.

In August, Basque performers and companies will showcase theatre and traditional and contemporary dance at the Fringe, the largest arts festival in the world. In parallel to the Fringe, several Basque writers will present their work from August 10 to 18 and take part in literary events at the Edinburgh International Book festival. These two initiatives are part of the summer season of the #ScotlandGoesBasque project being developed this year in Scotland.

This international conference, organized by the Etxepare Basque Institute and the University of Edinburgh, will be held on October 16^th and 17^th. The programme has been published and the registration is open for those who want to attend the seminars. 

The international documentary fair Sunny Side of the Doc has closed its doors on another successful event for the Basque film industry. The rejuvenated image of the Basque Audiovisual Stand, organized by the Etxepare Basque Institute, Eiken cluster and Zineuskadi, was well received, and representatives from Etxepare and Eiken were at the stand to answer questions.

Several cultural stakeholders and institutions of Québec visited the Basque Country the first week of July to take part in the Québec-Euskadi professional conferences – one of the first milestones of a cultural initiative aimed at strengthening the bonds between Québec and the Basque Country.