Cinema has always been a vital medium for articulating the Basque region's unique identity and politics. The first definitive study of Basque cinema, this book provides a systematic analysis of the key Basque films, directors and cinematic institutions. Its narrative moves from the romanticised Basque Country travelogues of Pathe to the coded oppositional aesthetics of Franco-era films; from the post-Franco 'new wave' supported by regional government funding to the boom in auteurist cinema during the 1980s and 1990s. It also charts the contemporary impact of the film institute Basque Filmoteca and television channel Euskal Telebista in producing and disseminating Basque-language films. Based on archival research, close readings of films and in-depth interviews with influential figures in the Basque film scene, this book is essential reading for world film scholars and cultural historians.

AcknowledgementsList of illustrations Basque Cinema: Citizenship and Sentiment 2. Melodramatic Beginnings: Early Basque Cinema Taking The Initiative: The San Sebastian Film Festival and the TransitionPast Tense, Present Tensions: History, Heritage and the First Basque Wave Broken Windows: Representations of TerrorismElastic Basqueness: The Second Basque Wave Boxed In and Breaking Out: Short Films and The Third Basque Wave Longing and Belonging: Transnational and Diasporic Basque Cinema Funding Films, Finding Audiences: Contemporary Basque Cinema Inside Out and Outside In: Two Concluding Views of Basque CinemaBibliography Index