NYC Basque Film Festival

The Delegation of the Basque Country to the United States, in collaboration with the Etxepare Basque Institute, is hosting the NYC Basque Film Festival. The festival aims to showcase Basque language, culture, and cinema in the U.S. Three films will be screened this year from December 2nd to 4th at Manhattan’s historic Village East Cinema: ‘Robot dreams’ (Pablo Berger, 2023), ‘Bizkarsoro’ (Josu Martinez, 2023) and ‘Los Williams’ (Raúl De la Fuente, 2024).

The animated film ‘Robot Dreams’, directed by Pablo Berger, will open the festival on December 2. The film premiered in Cannes in May 2023 and was also screened at the Sitges Festival later that same year, in September. It received awards at the European Film Awards, the Forqué Awards and Annecy, among others. In addition, it earned four nominations at the 2024 Goya Awards, where it won Best Animated Film and Best Adapted Screenplay. It was also Spain’s submission for the 2024 Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.

Based on Sara Varon’s popular graphic novel, ‘Robot Dreams’ tells the story of Dog, a lonely dog living in Manhattan. One day he decides to build a robot to be his friend. Their friendship grows until they become inseparable, set to the rhythm of 1980s New York. One summer night, Dog is forced—much to his sorrow—to abandon the robot on the beach.

On the second day, December 3, the film ‘Bizkarsoro’ by director Josu Martinez will be screened.

Five true stories based on written and oral testimonies, which take place between 1914 and 1982, in a village that does not exist. These stories highlight the social changes experienced by a small village during the 20th century. The radiation and the end of a language. And the fight to survive.

On December 4, the documentary ‘The Williams’ will bring the NYC Basque Film Festival to a close. It opened the Zinemira section at the 72nd San Sebastián International Film Festival and was nominated for Best Documentary at the 2025 Iris Awards.

‘The Williams’ is about racism, sibling relationships, migration, memory and identity, privilege and the discomfort it generates when you don´t quite know if you are a white man in a black body, a black Basque, or simply, you feel like a foreigner. The brothers, descendants of Ghanaians, are admired players of Athletic Club de Bilbao: the first division team that only has Basque players. They will come face to face with their family history, facing a decision: to compromise or to look away.