About this project

They speak one of the world’s most ancient languages, established one of the world’s first democracies and lead Europe’s Age of Exploration. For hundreds of centuries Basques have maintained their traditions while flourishing among Europe’s most innovative societies. Yet, for centuries their way of life has confronted threats as powerful as the Roman Empire, as transforming as the Industrial Revolution, as tragic as a dictator’s genocidal aggression and as universal as immigration.

Who are these people and how have they navigated the ages as one of Europe’s most ancient cultures to be one of its most flourishing modern societies? And are the Basques capable of continuing their way of life even in today’s world? While unique and dynamic characters enact that drama on the screen, a complex cultural portrait emerges.

In the Basque language, ‘Ipuina Kontatu’ means telling stories. Basques have passed their language and customs down the generations through an oral tradition. The narrative design captures that tradition by exploring Basque culture through personal tales and perceptions of its protagonists. The characters’ personal tales will be woven together so that their stories not only complete one another, but also create a dialog between them that calls into question not only Basque traditions and their place in today's world, but also cultural traditions in general and their relationship to social progress.

We are at a very exciting stage right now having finished principle photography. As the film comes together we need help to get it finished. In order to bring the strong characters of Ipuina Kontatu to the screen we need strong characters behind the scenes pooling their talents towards its completion. The long, costly editing process is just getting started. Our brilliant and highly awarded editor, Lila will be working with Emily, the director to realize the ambitious vision we've developed for the film. Further, the sound track will use the telling Basque soundscape to not only express a fundamental layer within this cultural portrait but also enrich the narrative story line. We are mixing live-sound with a vast archival sound-bank and songs performed by contemporary musicians and free-verse singing into a soundtrack that enhances the film’s visual style and dramatic content. All this requires not only equipment and studio rental but paying the salaries of the artists carrying out these tasks. Your contributions will bring the brilliance to this beautiful film about a fascinating place and peoples.