Bertsolari

Asier Altuna / Spain / 2011 / 52 min
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  • San Sebastian Film Festival

  • International Documentary Festival of Santiago de Chile

  • Alès Film Festival

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Synopsis

Spanish and Basque with English subtitles

Bertsolaritza is an ancestral, completely improvised, form of Basque poetry. Anachronistic? Not at all: the bertsolari, with their spontaneous creation and wordplay, could be an inspiration for rappers and other improv artists.

This oral tradition has skillfully evolved and adapted to the times, connecting with the youngest generations. A surprising art of austere aesthetics in these days of spectacularity and special effects. At the grand finale performance of the last championship an audience of 14,000 people gathered to watch 8 bertsolaris vie live against each other. Bertsolari is a voyage through improvised verse, silence and art in the raw.

The origin of the bertsolari verse dates back to earlier times and the documented challenges amongst bertsolaris are very old. The first championships as we know them today, bringing together the very best bertsolaris of the time, were organized in San Sebastian in 1935 and 1936.

A living ethnographic documentary, remarkable and educational.

Related Subjects
About the Director
Asier Altuna (Bergara, 1969) had already made his mark in short films, some of which landed awards at different events: Topeka (2004), Sarean (2006) and the ones co-directed with Telmo Esnal, Txotx (1997) and 40 ezetz (1999). His feature debut was the comedy, Aupa Etxebeste! (2005), also co-directed with Telmo Esnal, which competed in the Zabaltegi-New Directors section of San Sebastian Festival, winning the Youth Award.
Press

“Combining archival material with observations from practitioners and ethnographic scholars, Altuna traces the history of modern bertso as an expression of Basque individuality and exceptionalism…An effective introduction to a form of expression that has become comparable to slam poetry or rap, this is recommended.” – VIDEO LIBRARIAN

“Asier Altuna has weaved a beautiful piece…Bertsolari is a proud homage, created by people capable of appreciating how much emotion and meaning there is among the bertsolaris, and translate it to the screen with pleasure” – Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO

“An emotive lesson on how you can understand and communicate what poetry is.” – Juan Zapater, DIARIO DE NOTICIAS

“The universe we are shown is extremely suggestive and interesting, a treasure. Don’t miss Bertsolari.” – Iratxe Fresneda, GARA

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