MAIXABEL

The film tells, calmly and respectfully, of Maixabel's efforts to establish a dialogue between the different camps, despite all the odds, and to enable conversations in a society torn apart by violence, and of Ibon, who was involved in the attack as a perpetrator. He tries to turn his back on the terrorist organisation whilst Maixabel works to remember the victims on both sides of the conflict. Two fates whose paths cross again. Up close to true events and those who were involved in them, this decades-long conflict evolves into a personal story full of spiritual power and emotional impact. A Tale of Love, Anger and Hope, the additional German title of the film, poses the question of reconciliation between Basque society and ETA. The Euskadi ta Askatasuna, which roughly translates as 'Freedom for the Basque Country' and is abbreviated to ETA, was an underground organisation until its self-dissolution in 2018; its actions claimed over 800 lives as of the 1960s. Are the resulting divisions too deep to overcome?

Text: Merlin Webers
English: Peter Rickerby