Outlook on FFDD23: Discourse Europe: The Basque Country and Catalonia

When Barcelona was allowed to host the Olympic Games 30 years ago, the international glamour of this great event continued to shine even after the Olympic fire had long since gone out and transformed the whole of Spain. A serious financial and economic crisis finally caused the bright utopian life plans that many Spaniards had long associated with the Olympic spirit of optimism of 1992 to burst like the huge Spanish real estate bubble. This led to the emergence of social and political movements, to a great political polarisation and to strengthened independence movements in the Basque Country, but especially in Catalonia.

What traces have the efforts of the separatists and the harsh reactions of the central government left behind? Can the social rifts be overcome? The guest curators of our DISCOURSE EUROPE try to answer these questions and show the diversity and richness of Basque and Catalan filmmaking in their programmes.

We were able to gain Yunuen Cuenca Vázquez and Mikel Gurrea as guest curators for the programme. Yunuen Cuenca Vázquez works together with various festivals, such as the San Sebastián International Film Festival (SSIFF) in Donostia. Mikel Gurrea was awarded the International Competition Golden Horseman for his film HELTZEAR at the 2022 Filmfest Dresden.

With support by Institut Ramon Llull